Belgian retailer Colruyt is going to prepare packages for users of its Collect & Go service at night, in order to minimise disruption for shoppers during the day, according to reports.
Belgium's De Tijd newspaper reports that the measure is being introduced to alleviate the pressure on the company's two warehouses, in Zaventem and Erpe-Mere, where most of the Collect & Go packages are assembled.
"It is most efficient to put together the packages in our stores," Colruyt staff director Wim Mertens told the paper. 'They are well equipped for it. Products arrive in bulk, and the collection points are in stores."
Trial Period
From January, a trial period will see four to five employees work in shifts between 5pm and midnight in nine selected Colruyt stores. If the trial proves successful, the measure will be rolled out to other stores.
However, the newspaper reports that the retailer could run into difficulty with local trade unions, who expect said employees to earn a 50% higher wage for working outside of sociable hours. Colruyt is preparing to pay them 30% more.
Colruyt has earmarked 2019 as the year in which it will seek to expand its e-commerce business, to compete with local players Carrefour and Delhaize, as well as large international retailers, such as Zalando and BOL.com.
© 2018 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.
