Big scene change: Match turns into Louis Delhaize

Strategic turnaround at Louis Delhaize group: the Match and Smatch supermarkets in Belgium will change both appearance and name over the next few years. The emphasis will be on fresh food, private label products and e-commerce.

Major investment

Over the next few years, Match supermarkets in Belgium will be switching to a new brand and concept: Louis Delhaize Open Market. The stores will be upgraded and will focus more on fresh foods and the Louis private label, which will grow from 600 to 2,400 products. E-commerce will also have its place in the strategy, with pick-up areas for online orders, said CEO Jean-Marc van Cutsem to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. The smaller Smatch supermarkets will become Louis Delhaize stores, following successful trials in Ertvelde and Lendelede.

The changeover will commence before the summer: three supermarkets will get their makeover in June, eight others will follow in 2023. Ten neighbourhood supermarkets will also get refurbished each year. Within three years, all 55 Smatch and 35 Match supermarkets must be remodelled. At the same time, the retailer is implementing a new distribution centre in Nijvel. The depot in Mariakerke, near Gent, will be closed. The entire operation will entail an investment of at least 90 million euros.

High time

In 2019, the retailer already announced a relaunch plan, back then under the leadership of CEO Stéphane de Rango. This involved closing 12 stores, a restructuring that would enable the chain to return to growth and profitability in 2020. But the increase in sales, partly thanks to the coronavirus crisis, proved inadequate to offset the losses.

“It has been clear for some time that something had to be done”, says van Cutsem. “It was high time for a radical transformation plan.”