This is what the impressive beverage section of the new Colruyt Professionals tells us
In Deurne, the new Colruyt Professionals store looks almost like a giant cocktail bar: a plethora of drinks, large packaging, and bulk purchases. Behind this presentation, however, lies a battle for a professional clientele positioned between traditional retail and delivery services.
In the new Colruyt Professionals store located on the former Makro site in Deurne, there is a particularly impressive beverage section. Beer packs, energy drinks, soft drinks, and items not necessarily found in regular Colruyt stores: everything is designed for professionals who buy in bulk.
But beyond this abundance, it's the positioning of the concept that raises questions. Who is Colruyt Professionals really aimed at?
For Amaury Marescaux, CEO of Gondola Foodservice, the concept addresses an intermediate segment of the professional market. "With a median annual turnover close to 310,000 euros for a Belgian restaurant and 213,000 euros for a night shop, the business case for door-to-door delivery doesn't hold up for a large part of this market: the order value doesn't cover the cost of the delivery route," he explains.
Delivery therefore remains relevant for accounts whose volume justifies a dedicated route, particularly via Solucious. At the other end of the spectrum, some professionals already use traditional Colruyt stores to take advantage of their low prices.
Colruyt Professionals helps structure the space between the two
"The low-price format of classic Colruyt stores already captures, informally, part of the small professional clientele who come looking for low prices at the counter. Colruyt Professionals complements these two offerings and structures a third segment: professionals whose volume is too small for delivery and too regular to remain occasional customers of classic retail," continues Amaury Marescaux.
The model focuses less on maximizing the basket size and more on building loyalty among middle-income customers. This logic also explains certain peculiarities observed in Deurne. The store still allows individual purchases of some products, such as biscuits. However, this is not the case for beverages, a category that Colruyt Professionals has decided to promote.
For Amaury Marescaux, this flexibility is strategic: "For Colruyt, the interest is to build lasting loyalty with this intermediate clientele, and therefore to remain flexible on the volumes sold while the habit of buying in bulk takes hold."
According to its analysis, beverages represent 72% of the value of food and beverage sales in night shops. This explains the importance placed on this category at Colruyt Professionals, with a wide assortment and a strong presence of large packaging options. Colruyt intends to continue developing this positioning: the retailer plans to open a tenth Colruyt Professionals store by the end of 2026.
