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Revamped OKay Herzele reopens on 28 February as a sustainable neighbourhood supermarket
25
February
2020
On Friday 28 February, OKay Herzele opens its doors again after a month of alteration work. The store dates from 2007 and was renovated in the second-generation style of OKay neighbourhood supermarkets with a restyled freshmart, extra chiller cabinets, a new bread corner and freezers with glass covers. OKay Herzele also does not use fossil fuels and is built with sustainable techniques and material. Store manager Kim Verstraeten and her team will be pleased to welcome their customers with a snack and drink during the opening reception on Thursday 27 February from 6 to 8 pm.
Focus on fresh products and daily fresh bread
The fresh and modern layout allows co-workers at OKay Herzele to serve their customers even better and to play their ultra-fresh products better. "In the new freshmart for instance, our broad supply of fresh fruit and vegetables can stand out completely', says store manager Kim Verstraeten. "Outside the freshmart, we added extra chiller cabinets so that tapas, cold cuts and pastries strike the eye. Fresh bread is supplied every day and our co-workers bake high-quality rolls and buns in a renovated bread corner."
The frozen products department was also rearranged. Kim Verstraeten: "We installed freezers with glass covers so customers can see what products are in there at a glance."
The store's front was given a lick of paint and the green areas around the car park, with room for 60 cars, were freshened up. The bicycle shed has room for 15 bicycles. It also accommodates carrier cycles to make shopping by bike easier.
Minimum environmental impact
Like the other Colruyt Group Store formats, it is very important to OKay to build sustainably with a minimum ecological footprint. Consequently, it uses as many sustainable techniques and renewable materials as possible in second-generation stores. "We do not use fossil fuels at OKay Herzele", says Kim Verstraeten. "The refrigeration system works on propane, a natural coolant that is much environment-friendlier than chemical coolants. This reduces CO2 emission by 90% compared to a classic cooling system. We recover the heat released by the cooling system and the remaining heat we need (75%) from the air. The thermal insulation of the store is excellent. And the LED lighting uses 30% less electricity."
Opening reception
"Through the years, we have gained loyal customers who value our broad range of products, our friendly co-workers and the lowest prices in the neighbourhood. My 12 co-workers, all living in the area around Herzele, and I want to continue on this line in our renovated store”, the store manager continues.
On Thursday 27 February 2020, the day before the opening, all customers and neighbours can discover the renovated store during an opening reception from 6 to 8 pm.
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About OKay
OKay is Colruyt Group’s local supermarket format. Customers can find everything they need there. OKay stores are set up near town or city centres and guarantee the lowest prices in the neighbourhood. OKay opened its very first store on 14 January 1998 in Ertvelde and has since then been opening an average of 6 new stores every year. They intend to keep up this frequency in the years to come. Today, OKay has about 140 stores in Belgium. Since November 2015, the chain also has its own distribution centre at the industrial estate of Lot (Beersel) in Flemish Brabant. OKay currently employs more than 2,500 co-workers.