Spar Comblain reopens its doors after eco-friendly renovation
On Thursday 20 June, the Spar Colruyt Group store of Comblain will reopen its doors after several months of construction work. The existing building from the eighties was demolished and replaced by a brand new, larger and more environmentally friendly store. Customers will find an even bigger assortment of fresh products in the new Spar, with the prepared meals counter as eyecatcher.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Brand new and bigger
Comblain's Spar store, which opened in the 1980s, is located in the centre of the village, on the banks of the river Ourthe. It is the only supermarket within a radius of a few kilometres, which little by little has become a household name in the region. Independent proprietor Hughes Counerotte has been running the business since 1996. "The store no longer met today's needs in terms of convenience and energy efficiency. I wanted to do my bit for the environment and chose to demolish the old building and build a completely new store.” The retail area has been expanded by half: instead of 800 m², it is now 1,200 m². Hughes Counerotte is particularly proud of the innovations in the field of energy, which significantly reduce the store's ecological footprint.
Energy-efficient innovations
To heat the store, Spar Comblain no longer uses a traditional boiler, but utilises the residual heat from the cooling system. In addition, a heat pump was installed to anticipate the harsh winters in Upper Belgium. Moreover, the cooling installation works on CO², which is much more environmentally-friendly than traditional cooling methods and allows better recovery of residual heat. The glass doors of the refrigerators also reduce energy losses. The LED lighting in the store consumes 30 % less energy than conventional lighting. And this autumn, Hughes Counerotte has set his sights on making a big investment in solar panels, for a total area of 1,600 m².
New generation of Spar stores
The rest of the store has been equipped in the style of the latest generation of Spar stores. Hughes Counerotte is very satisfied with how things have turned out working with Retail Partners Colruyt Group: "In commercial terms, we focus mainly on fresh products and on the bakery. And thanks to our new store, we have also been able to expand our range of ready meals. The delicacies counter will be our showpiece", says Hughes.
All customers and local residents are invited to the festive opening reception on Wednesday 19 June from 6 p.m. onwards. “We would like to thank all our customers who remained loyal to us during our move to the temporary store in a tent. That's why we're organising this event, with a food truck, snacks, drinks and a guided tour of the new store”, Hughes concludes.