Dutch retailer PLUS has said that the conversion process of former Coop stores is set to take place at a 'brisk pace' this year, as it announced the opening of its first revamped outlet, in Heeg, Friesland.
The retailer plans to convert approximately 70 Coop stores over the course of this year, with a total of 300 set for conversion overall.
The new look PLUS Gerritsma, operated by local entrepreneur Gerritsma te Heeg, opened its doors this week at Koaldyk 17 in Heeg, and has been redeveloped according to the new 'Briljant 2.0' formula from PLUS.
“We are extremely proud of this latest PLUS," commented Duncan Hoy, PLUS general manager. "And this is just the beginning."
Starting next month, PLUS plans to open at least two converted Coop stores per week, enabling the business to "commit ourselves every day in even more places in the Netherlands, to ensure care for good food, for the neighbourhood and for our customers," said Hoy.
Scale Of Conversion Process
He added that the conversion process is likely to be a "gigantic operation", albeit one that the group is looking forward to "with confidence".
It follows the announcement last September that PLUS and Coop would merge into one single cooperative, trading under the name PLUS.
With the merger, the group has become the third largest supermarket operator in the Netherlands, with a national network of 550 stores, and a combined consumer turnover of approximately €5 billion.
The group also now boasts more than 40,000 employees, serving around 4.5 million customers each week.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
