The Colruyt Group story is one of many changes. Sometimes due to a well thought out plan, sometimes in response to the unexpected. The common thread is clear: the name Colruyt. To give you an overview, we’ve shown some key moments in chronological order.
Rice from Benin is the first Colruyt house brand product to carry the Max Havelaar label.
Apr 2010
Apr 2010
How can we have a stronger impact on those ahead of and behind us in the chain? Our response: source more sustainably and help customers consume more consciously. We set our commitment formally in a manifesto.
From now on, 1.6 million Colruyt customers get a personalised ‘Selection for you’ folder.
Jan 2010
Jan 2010
Colruyt Group takes over Foodinvest, one of the largest players in the Belgian foodservice market.
Apr 2009
Apr 2009
Printer Druco joins forces with Mitto, a specialist in one-to-one-mailings and document management.
Jan 2009
Jan 2009
Dreamland opens its first French shop in Leers.
Sep 2008
Sep 2008
Dolmen Industrial Projects and Createch Engineering merge to form intrion (automation of production and logistics processes).
Jun 2008
Jun 2008
The first Colruyt shop opens in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Jan 2008
Jan 2008
Colruyt Group starts buying green electricity.
Jul 2007
Jul 2007
Colruyt launches the Extra card: coupon clipping is a thing of the past.
Sep 2006
Sep 2006
The second wind turbine is built in Ghislenghien, and solar panels are fitted to the Colruyt shop in Ninove and to the Halle distribution centre (8,000m2).
Jan 2006
Jan 2006
The new Everyday house brand gathers low-price brands from Colruyt, OKay, Spar and Codifrance under one single name.
A new brand name appears: Collibri Foundation. A fixed percentage of the profit from the Boni Selection products goes to education and training projects for third world youngsters.
The term ‘Colruyt Group’ makes its appearance with the orange logo. It needs to be clear to the outside world that this is a family of companies and no longer just a family business.
Jan 2002
Jan 2002
Dreamland and Colruyt draw up a charter against child labour.
Dec 2001
Dec 2001
Colruyt starts Pro à Pro, a major foodservice player in the French market.
Oct 2001
Oct 2001
The first Dreambaby opens in Tienen, specialising in baby products.
Colruyt’s management and employees commit themselves to the environment (Green Line charter) and the first organic products hit the shelves.
Jan 1987
Jan 1987
Colruyt is the first retailer in Belgium to introduce ‘full scanning’: no more punch cards, just barcodes which are read at the till. So supplies, stock management and ordering are further automated.
Jan 1984
Jan 1984
The meat processing company Vlevico (Vlees Viande Colruyt) gets a new building in the Stroppen (Sint-Pieters-Leeuw) industrial zone.
Jan 1982
Jan 1982
Colruyt’s IT system is unique in European retailing. An independent company, nv Dolmen, grows out of the IT department.
Jan 1979
Jan 1979
Nv Colruyt is listed on the stock market.
Jan 1979
Jan 1979
Colruyt’s own printing company, nv Druco, is created from the printing department.
Jan 1976
Jan 1976
All Discount shops are renamed Colruyt because competitors now also use the term ‘discount’.
Jan 1974
Jan 1974
The Hellebroek distribution centre opens.
Jan 1972
Jan 1972
The first DATS petrol station opens. DATS stands for Discount Automatic Tanking Service.
The first Discount shops grow out of the Cash & Carry concept, with the lowest prices for consumers.
Jan 1964
Jan 1964
Delivering to smaller shops becomes too expensive. From now on, they pick up their own goods from the new Cash & Carry in Halle, a self-service business with wholesale prices.
Nov 1958
Nov 1958
Franz Colruyt dies and his son Jo Colruyt takes over the business together with Franz’s brothers. They now deliver to over 800 independent shops.
Jan 1958
Jan 1958
The first Super Boni shops open, as attractive self-service supermarkets for consumers.
Jan 1953
Jan 1953
Loyal shopkeepers receive a billboard. The Boni shops are born.
Jan 1950
Jan 1950
Etn. Franz Colruyt nv is founded, a food wholesaler.
Jan 1937
Jan 1937
Franz decides to roast coffee himself and to bottle wine.
Jan 1928
Jan 1928
Baker’s son Franz Colruyt starts a colonial wholesale goods business (selling things such as coffee, salt and sugar) in Lembeek, to serve grocers in Brussels and the surrounding area.
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