The innovation engine runs at full speed at Carrefour Belgium

With a revamped non-food selection, healthy snacks, artisanal meals, flavors from world cuisines, and various “combo deals,” Carrefour hopes to entice Belgian shoppers this fall.

Non-food on the rise

Every year, Carrefour Belgium renews as much as a quarter of its product range to keep pace with rapidly changing consumer trends. The retailer showcased a selection of these new items this week in Brussels at its traditional fall trade show. The focus is on convenience, health and wellness, beauty and personal care, and, of course, TikTok trends. The retailer is also attuned to the somewhat contradictory spending behavior of consumers who, on the one hand, are saving money while, on the other, enjoy splurging on small treats—a pattern also known as“spaving,” a portmanteau of “spending” and “saving.”

The company reports good news from its hypermarkets, which are experiencing a resurgence, thanks in part to Sunday openings and a drastic overhaul of the non-food department’s product range, where televisions are making way for categories with more potential, such as the “Kidult” trend (toys for adults) featuring Lego and pop culture items for “geeks.” Expectations are high for the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI in November. A new line of home décor is also performing well, possibly due in part to the departure of competitors like Casa and Leen Bakker. The hypermarkets that have already completed the conversion are seeing sales up to 5% higher compared to other stores.

Healthy snacking

In the food category, Carrefour is further expanding its international cuisine selection, including private-label curry pastes. A significant number of new—and primarily non-alcoholic—beverages are hitting the shelves, including additional kombucha varieties alongside functional and energy drinks. Among the various new chocolate flavors under the private label is a Dubai variant—but isn’t that a bit late to the party? The Sweet Switch confectionery line is sugar-free. Carrefour also aims to promote a “healthy checkout,” featuring more responsible impulse-buy items.

The retailer is launching protein bars under its own brand, as well as the new healthy snack bar Amanda (a portmanteau of “almond” and “date”), developed by radio host Eva De Roo in collaboration with Michiel Van Meervenne of Kriket. A first for the market is Recolt, the first organic oat drink made exclusively with Belgian ingredients. Meanwhile, we’re seeing the protein craze expand to the pet food lineup as well. Like owner, like dog.

Artisanal meals

In the fresh prepared meals section—which, according to Carrefour, continues to grow at a double-digit rate—a new sub-brand is emerging: Atelier C aims to be a premium, artisanal complement to both the Carrefour-branded meals and the fresh, in-store prepared meals available in many franchise stores. There are 35 items available, including appetizers, main courses, and desserts, prepared by the Bruges-based company Be Food.

Carrefour is also proud of a new assortment of breakfast products featuring overnight oats, skyr, and chia, as well as the premium Piko line of appetizers. “Ready-to-cook” vegetable mixes are appearing in the produce section. Also new is the “wok combo deal”: shoppers choose a vegetable mix, noodles, and sauce for a fixed price, then add a protein of their choice. The same “pick & mix” principle applies to the salads, where you can combine a green salad with a topping and dressing.

Smart shopping cart

In addition to these new products, Carrefour is also launching innovations on other fronts. For example, the retailer in Waterloo will test the smart shopping carts from the American company Instacart. The French app Pikkopay, a “scan & go” solution that allows shoppers to bypass lines at the registers, will also be tested.

Furthermore, Carrefour is partnering with wholesaler Trendy Foods to launch a new brand in Belgium: Shopeez, a concept for small and “independent” neighborhood stores, late-night shops, gas station stores, campground stores, and more. It’s not a franchise, but rather a licensing agreement modeled after the French Proxi concept, which already has 1,500 locations.