Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize wants to open 30 additional stores this year, on top of the 23 it already opened in the first half of this year. If anything, the coronavirus crisis seems to have given the chain a boost.
“Learnt a lot from Covid”
The thirty additional stores would mostly be proximity stores: “Delhaize has learnt a lot from the Covid crisis”, the chain said in a press release, pointing to the rise in market share for such smaller stores. In the midst of the chaos, they have reaped the rewards for adapted opening hours and locally focused product range – yet another trend that was intensified by the Covid crisis.
Since New Year’s Day, Delhaize has already opened 23 new stores and thus created 181 extra jobs. Three supermarkets were also converted to the chain’s latest store concept, with four more supermarkets to join in later in the year.
