Colruyt Group posts first sustainability report

Belgian Colruyt Group had a first with its latest yearly report, as it added a separate sustainability report to its already rather elaborate yearly booklet. Which facts were especially noteworthy? RetailDetail found it all out.

Positive evolution

Colruyt wants to be a reference and inspiration for sustainability, CEO Jef Colruyt said. While his company started on the sustainability trail only out of cost-cutting considerations, today it makes up the base of the group’s mission statement. “Being strategically placed between consumer and producers, we want to bring all actors together to formulate common goals”, the CEO says. Four crucial issues (health, community, animal welfare and the environment) will all be used in labels in communications, so that consumers can make sustainable choices more easil. That and other initiatives can be found in the 48 page sustainability report. 

A more elaborate yearly report offers 208 pages of information on its 2017/18 fiscal year, in which the retailing group has seen a dozen transformation programs to become more efficient and future-proof. Initiatives include the development of two new kinds of apple, a direct cooperation with potato farmers, a fossil fuel free station and peer-to-peer platform Apporto. Its app MyColruyt passed the 400,000 downloads, which helped to raise online turnover to 370 million euro. 

All chains going strong

Colruyt opened two new stores, enlarged thirteen locations and moved two others to bigger buildings, creating almost 11,000 sqm of additional shopping space. The chain had 235 stores in Belgium and 4 in Luxembourg, averaging 1,700 sqm and selling 10,900 food products and 7,200 non-food products. 413 stores have pick-up points, including dozens of OKay and Dreamland stores. Its more up-market sister Cru had a huge turnover growth as well, owing to a new central location in Ghent. Biological supermarket chain Bio-Planet opened 3 new stores (totalling 27) and continues to strive for 50 locations.

Despite strong online competition and owing to a new and improved concept, Dreamland also achieved growth in its 43 Belgian stores (+1), 2 French stores and a web shop that already accounts for 20 % of the chain’s turnover. Dreambaby reaches 26 stores (+2) and still aims for 35 stores. The near future should bring two more stores and a separate distribution centre.

Even more statistics

• Total shopping space of self-owned stores in the group: 687.000 sqm
• Total investments: 392 million euro
• Total employees: 29.388 
• Total number of stores: 1134 (553 own, 581 by franchisers)
• Market share of Colruyt, OKay and Spar: 31,8% (a record)
• People having an Xtra card: 4,2 million
• Number of pick-up points: 264
• Share of turnover from retail, wholesale and foodservice: 93 %
• Share of turnover per country: Belgium 93.1 %, France 6.4 %
• CEO Jef Colruyt’s wages: 1,292,314 euro (slightly less than last year’s 1.32 million due to a lower profit in the previous year)