CRU relocates from Wijnegem to central location in Antwerp
CRU Wijnegem is closing its doors today in preparation for its move to the centre of Antwerp. The new covered market at Groenplaats opens on 21 February. With its central urban location, this market offers more opportunities for Colruyt Group's shopping formula. In the meantime, customers from Antwerp can still go to Wijnegem to pick up CRU orders or have their shopping home-delivered.
Monday, January 7, 2019
Belief in urban location
The new premises at Groenplaats in Antwerp offer a huge amount of potential. This is what Jo Spiegeleer, CRU business unit manager, has to say: "It is our firm belief that we can reach even more customers at Groenplaats than in Wijnegem. A central location like this in the city centre, with a large footfall, is ideal for a retail concept such as CRU. That’s what we’ve experienced the past two years at the Kouter in Ghent. There, we not only count local residents among our regular customers, but also numerous day trippers and people from just outside the city." From February onwards, we will be able to bring the CRU experience to a greater number of people in Antwerp as well.
Pickup or home delivery
There is a time lag of a few weeks between the closing down of the Wijnegem location and the opening of the covered market at Groenplaats. Market manager Didier Vanghendt explains why: "We are still transforming the Groenplaats premises into a traditional, covered market. We are also in the process of recovering some large pieces of furniture from Wijnegem, such as the cooling counter, the bread oven and the coffee cabinet. This will take some time. That's why our customers won’t be able to visit a physical CRU location for a month. But we will make up for that by having a festive opening."
CRU had been on the look-out for a solution to bridge the intervening period, so that customers could continue to buy their favourite products. Jo Spiegeleer says: "We are in the process of testing different options. In a first phase, customers can pick up their orders themselves from the existing location in Wijnegem or have their groceries delivered to their home via the shopping platform Apporto." This peer-to-peer platform offered by Colruyt Group is an app that makes it easier for people to shop for each other. Customers can easily send their shopping list with CRU products via e-mail or telephone. Subsequently, CRU employees put together the order and use Apporto to find someone in the neighbourhood who can deliver the order to the customer’s home address in exchange for a small fee. "Customers can of course visit the markets in Ghent and Overijse every day for the complete CRU experience", says Jo Spiegeleer.