At Colruyt Group, people make the difference
At Colruyt Group, we start from a positive view of humanity: individuals are intrinsically motivated to deliver good work, take responsibility and create value with our resources. That is why we organise ourselves in such a way that people can make a positive contribution to the customer, our partners and society.
What makes us a people-oriented organisation?
No-nonsense corporate culture
The anecdote is well-known: when a journalist in the 1980s asked for Sir Colruyt, the receptionist replied sharply: “There are no ‘sirs’ here, sir.” The quote still symbolises our no-nonsense corporate culture.
This ‘just be yourself’ culture manifests itself in various ways:
we address everyone, regardless of position, by their first name; everyone can consult email correspondence in a central archive; confidential emails being the exception...
All offices are see-through and furnished in the same sober style, there are no parking spaces reserved for executives, every colleague shares in the profit...
Engagement, craftmanship and responsibility come first, everyone can make decisions or propose improvements and work simplification...
“There are no ‘sirs’ here, sir.”
Investing in personal growth
As people grow, so does the company. At Colruyt Group, this is not an empty slogan, because:
- each year, we organise more than 9,000 training sessions for over 33,000 unique participants. Our colleagues grow not only in their role but also as individuals. The offer ranges from safety and workplace skills, language courses and personal growth to communication and leadership skills;
- we invest 3% of our wage bill in training;
- our company has a long tradition of internal job rotation. Colleagues can continuously reinvent themselves and grow throughout their entire career.
We firmly believe that personal development and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully lead to craftmanship, quality, job satisfaction and sustainable added value. The fact that many employees proudly identify themselves externally as ‘Colruyt Groupies’ and actively act as ambassadors strengthens that belief.
Focus on collaboration
Every year during the busy Christmas period, employees from the central services lend a hand in stores. A fine illustration of our mission to ‘create sustainable added value together’. By joining forces, we move forward together. Other examples include:
- the broad training of store employees: everybody can do everything and supports one another;
- the availability of our central services for questions from stores;
- the Solidarity Fund from colleagues for colleagues in case of unexpected (serious) medical costs;
- cross-fertilisation between the different brands, for example in our health offer: Newpharma products are available at Colruyt, or Jims recipes are available via Collect&Go.
The willingness to connect also extends to our customers and partners. For example, our Step by Step programme on sustainable entrepreneurship and conscious consumption invites everyone to take steps in the right direction together.
Transparent relationships with customers, partners and society
Our people-oriented culture directly translates into how customers and partners perceive us: as authentic, accessible and reliable. A few examples:
Our stores are praised for their customer friendliness. Employees are easy to approach because they are allowed to be themselves.
We have around 600 supply chain partnerships with Belgian farmers, aiming to make Belgian agriculture more sustainable. Transparency and security are key principles within these collaborations. Suppliers value our collaboration principles.
Through events organised by our Colruyt Group Foundation, such as Tomorrow’s Voices and Hackathon for Good, the corporate world, the non-profit sector and the young people we support come into direct contact with one another. Inspiring encounters for all parties.
Frequently asked questions
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As Colruyt Group employee, you join a dynamic company with a people-oriented, no-nonsense corporate culture, where you are given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully from your own individuality. As a company, we attach great importance to your personal development. Thanks to our tradition of internal job rotation and growth opportunities, you can build a sustainable career here.
We are also committed to the physical and mental wellbeing of our employees. Together, we safeguard your work–life balance, ensure safe and ergonomic working conditions and offer various health programmes.
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For decades, we have been the only retail company in the top 20 of most attractive employers in Belgium according to the annual report by HR company Randstad. In the 2025 report, we rank in the top 3 for the following employer criteria: financial health, job security, working atmosphere, work–life balance and reputation. In terms of equal opportunities, we even rank first.
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In the Summer Report 2025 by research agency YouGov, the top three most customer-friendly retail formats consisted entirely of Colruyt Group brands, which were Colruyt, Okay and Spar Colruyt Group.