Colruyt Group
Profile
Colruyt Group is a retail group active in the distribution of food and nonfood products throughout Belgium, France and Luxembourg. Other activities include fuel distribution, digital printing solutions and document management, and green energy production. Colruyt Group has its own production facilities for meat processing, bread production, cheese cutting, wine bottling and coffee roasting. All companies and supporting activities of Colruyt Group have one common identity and culture, summarised in our mission statement: creating sustainable added value together, through valuedriven craftsmanship in retail.
Competences & Capabilities
Main areas of specialization and technological expertise are:
- Food quality and food safety • Retail logistics and transport
- Food and its environmental footprint
- Food and health
- Innovative food products
- Efficient and sustainable processes
- Market research (trend watching, consumer needs and wants, motivational research, concept testing, product testing)
- Digital consumer oriented solutions
- Data quality
- Personalised food solutions (personalisation)
- New ways of shopping (online / offline)
Expertise related to the EIT Food Strategic Pillars
The innovations we work on, and our technology investments are aimed at making our business more efficient and future proof.
- Our R&D department has technical expertise on renewable energy (off- and onshore windmills, hydrogen units), technical innovations (e.g. more sustainable ways to cool our products, robotics, virtual reality, aquaculture).
- In our own production facilities, we develop new innovative concepts (e.g. vegetable and alternative protein sources), focusing on more healthy and sustainable solutions.
- We can offer food processing (meat and meat alternatives, coffee, bread) from ‘idea to market introduction’ on our own premises.
Contact: Veerle Carlier, R&D Innovation Manager Food Veerle.carlier@colruytgroup.com
We focus on current and future demands of consumers by identifying food trends, and integrating both aspects in the (co-)creation of new products and services.
Consumers are at the heart of our business. We interact with them via market research (qualitative and quantitative) and through extensive taste and performance testing.
We want to keep consumers as informed as possible through our online channels (different websites, Twitter, Facebook) and offline channels (shops, magazines, folders).
Contact: Veerle Poppe, Sustainability Marketing Strategist Veerle.poppe@colruytgroup.com
As a retailer we think it is important to provide more and more services to consumers, covering all his / her lifetime events: from birth to old age.
Our spin-off Smart With Food focuses on digital solutions regarding the personalization of food, applying the “PAN” principle.
Our experience in working with start-ups allows us to offer tailored business development and go-to-market capabilities.
Contact: Veerle Poppe, Sustainability Marketing Strategist Veerle.poppe@colruytgroup.com
Through collaborations with universities we offer young people the opportunity to acquire practical experience in the food and retail sector
- Collibri Foundation offers programmes related targeting secondary school children and youngsters in developing countries
- Colruyt Group Academy is our training division. It organizes a wide range of workshops and trainings both to employees and consumers.
- Start2 Re-tail is our graduate apprenticeship programme offering graduated students a 10-week practical training programme
Contact: Mieke Vercaeren, PA Officer Colruyt Group Mieke.vercaeren@colruytgroup.com