“Colruyt Group continues to believe in Cru”

Colruyt Group continues to support its fresh food market concept, Cru, with a view to further growth. The retailer emphasized this in a response to news reports about the chain’s ongoing losses and a capital increase.

“Further investments needed”

It was announced Thursday morning that Colruyt Group recently injected an additional 14 million euros into its still-loss-making fresh market chain Cru. However, the retailer emphasizes that the chain is on the right track and that the intention remains to continue supporting the concept.

“It is true that we, together with Colruyt Group, have carried out a capital increase for some of our formats. These are part of the growth strategies of the formats within their respective sectors. For each of these brands, Colruyt Group emphasizes its confidence and belief that there is significant potential for the future. To realize this potential, further investments are needed,” spokesperson Eva Biltereyst told RetailDetail.

“The capital injection into Cru is part of the efforts to further support the format in its objective to continue growing and, thanks in part to that growth, to increase profitability. We are constantly working on this: the brand has achieved positive growth and a significant increase in sales in recent years, and has been able to further boost productivity. Colruyt Group remains convinced of Cru’s added value as a brand within the group. With Cru, we not only reach a specific target group that we are less able to appeal to with our other formats, but we also respond to growing trends such as ‘Less but Better’ and the increasing demand for pure, flavorful products.”

Key role for Solucious

The capital increase at foodservice wholesaler Solucious is also part of a growth story, says the retailer. It is one of the fastest-growing and leading players in the foodservice market, thanks to its unique mix of ease of use, reliable delivery service, and low costs. The business has grown significantly in recent years, through organic growth and acquisitions (Culinoa in 2021, Valfrais and Délidis in 2024), and forms a strong entity. 

“The capital increase should enable Solucious to grow and remain competitive in a rapidly changing market. Colruyt Group has strong confidence in the growth strategy within the professional sector, and Solucious plays a key role in this: we have great confidence in this business,” the statement reads.