Carrefour France has announced plans to grow its first 'vertical garden' in an outlet in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, in the Paris region. The garden is cultivated using the aeroponics process, where plants are grown without the use of soil.
With this new installation, the retailer is reinforcing its commitment to opening 'urban gardens' located near its stores.
Innovative Concept
A Carrefour hypermarket in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois now hosts a 300-square-metre garden in its car park, managed and designed by Agripolis. The company, based in the Paris region, is involved in growing fruits and vegetables without synthetic pesticides and marketing them via short distribution channels.
Because the new garden is laid out vertically and the plants are arranged in a particular way, they are protected against diseases and pests. In addition, they are grown using only nutrients that are allowed in organic farming.
Developing Urban Agriculture
The first of Carrefour’s urban gardens was opened in April 2017, on the roof of the Villiersen-Bière hypermarket, in the Paris region, in partnership with the Bougainville de Brie-Comte-Robert farming college. Freshly grown fruits, vegetables and seasonal aromatic herbs sourced from the garden are then sold in the supermarket.
Another garden managed by Agripolis will open on the roof of the Carrefour France head office in Massy (in the Paris region) in September 2017, as well as in Mérignac (south-west France). Each of the projects involves the expertise of local producers and stakeholders.
With this initiative, Carrefour seeks to improve food quality and preserve the planet’s biodiversity. Developing shorter distribution channels for its products allows the retailer to reduce CO2 emissions and tackle food wastage.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Larissa Zimmer. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
