Jumbo sells its very first Belgian store to a duo of entrepreneurs

Jumbo is selling its store in Pelt—the first supermarket the Dutch chain opened in Flanders—to entrepreneurs Ralf Jansen and René Puts, who will now own their third Belgian store.

Focus on franchising

“René and I are incredibly proud to announce that we will be taking over Jumbo Pelt as of October 19,” Ralf Jansen posted on LinkedIn. “We look forward to working with Maarten and the entire team to build on the success the store has achieved in recent years. We have great respect for what has been accomplished in Pelt and are eager to build on that together.” Jansen and Puts already operate two Belgian supermarkets, in Bree and Maasmechelen, and one in Stramproy, just across the border in the Netherlands.

Jumbo opened its first store in Pelt on November 6, 2019. It marked the beginning of a growth story in Belgium that has since expanded to 47 stores. The 48th store will open in late August in Mortsel, near Antwerp. The sale of the store comes as no surprise: Jumbo is increasingly focusing on franchising in Belgium. The new director for Belgium, Anrico Maat, is a successful entrepreneur himself.