Spanish retailer El Corte Inglés has reinforced its commitment to organic products by creating La Biosfera, a new business unit focused on ecological, bio and organic products, as well as a new private-label brand.
The first incarnation of the store-in-store concept will be situated in the Avenida de Francia supermarket in Valencia, and openings will follow in such cities as Coruña, Bilbao, Murcia, Barcelona and Madrid.
The retailer plans to launch 19 outlets in total by next autumn. After this phase, the company will open the concept in its supermarket and Hipercor formats.
Comfortable Space
La Biosfera outlets will be 50 to 150 square metres in size, depending on available space.
The company said that the objective is to provide the client with a comfortable space where s/he can stop and peruse an item's qualities and characteristics.
Wood will be one of the main materials used in shelving and display counters, as well as other visual elements.
Each outlet will contain more than 1,500 SKUs of eco-friendly, organic and bio products, and employ staff who specialise in these categories.
Products will include fresh produce, eggs, dairy, breads, sweets, fish, nuts, baby goods and frozen foods, among others.
La Biosfera outlets will also promote energy efficiency and environmental awareness by using FSC-certified paper bags.
El Corte Inglés Bio
El Corte Inglés said that it will be reinforcing its position in the organic market by launching new private-label brand El Corte Inglés Bio in La Biosfera.
These products will focus on sourcing from local producers and give consumers the opportunity to buy legumes and other foods in bulk. All of the products will include a seal of approval from the appropriate ecological, bio- and organic-certification bodies.
Bio products are worth €1 billion in Spain, with a trend of constant growth, according to the most recent figures from the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente.
The three formats of the retailer, including El Corte Inglés supermarkets, Hipercor and Supercor, already boast a pronounced array of these kinds of products, the company said.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
