OKay Meise is reopening its doors after renovation

On Wednesday 5 December, OKay Meise is reopening its doors after a three month renovation. The store has been overhauled to bring it into line with other second-generation OKay convenience stores, including an updated freshmart, a new bakery and new freezers. Store manager Wouter Hellinckx and his team are looking forward to welcoming back their customers with a drink and a bite to eat during the opening reception on 4 December between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

Fresh and modern design
​ OKay Meise was closed for building work from 17 September to 4 December. The store is now around 200 m² larger and has an extra 20 parking spaces, the exterior has been freshly painted and the green areas around the car park have also been replanted.

The store itself features a fresh and modern design. “This means we can provide our customers with even better service and play to our strengths”, says store manager Wouter Hellinckx. “Wide aisles and large glass walls in the updated freshmart, for example, make shopping a pleasant experience and highlight our wide range of fruit and vegetables.” The handy ‘Easy Cooking’ counter offers inspiration for customers, as well as all the ingredients they need for a quick and easy meal. Fresh bread is delivered every day and shop staff bake high-quality cakes and rolls in the updated bakery. The chest freezers with glass lids are also new, so customers can see immediately what products are inside. Finally, the checkout area has been redesigned to make more space for customers and their shopping carts and an extra till has been added.

Opening reception
​ The new store will be officially opened on Tuesday 4 December 2018 during a reception between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and all local residents and future customers are welcome to attend. “Over the years, we have built up a loyal base of customers who value our wide range of products, our friendly staff and the lowest prices in the area. Naturally, we intend to continue this in our updated store”, says Wouter. The range of fresh products is one of OKay’s assets: fresh fruit and vegetables every day, dairy products, meat, cold cuts, fish and ready-to-eat meals. OKay offers a broad mix of national brands, their own brand Boni Selection and discount brand Everyday.

Minimising environmental impact
​ Energy-efficient construction that minimises environmental impact is very important to OKay, so the second-generation stores use sustainable techniques and materials wherever possible. The new green roof purifies the air and encourages biodiversity on the site, and the store is heated with the residual heat from the cooling system, instead of using a conventional boiler. In addition, the cooling system is powered by propane; a natural coolant that is much more environmentally friendly than chemical refrigerant gases and that reduces the CO² emissions from cooling by 90%. The LED lighting in the stores reduces energy consumption by 30% and rainwater is reused for the toilets. The building is also extremely well insulated, and the ventilation system recovers 75% of the warmth in the air.