(Friday 25 April, 14:45. This article has been updated to reflect the investment amount announced by Delhaize in a press release issued on 25 April.)

More than ten years after its last renovation, Delhaize in Pommerloch has just completed a major facelift, thanks to an investment of €3.4m. With 3,300 m2 of sales area--compared with 3,000 m2 previously--the site now ranks amongst the largest Delhaize stores in the country. “The shop needed a real refresh, especially after the renovation of other outlets in the country,” confides manager Patrick Barile, who was eagerly awaiting the completion of the works.

Starting quietly last September, the operation accelerated from January, a quieter period in terms of footfall. Despite the scale of the transformations, no closures were envisaged. This was a strategic choice, both from a commercial point of view and to maintain customer loyalty. “Closing the store, even for a few days, would have resulted in a loss of turnover and a real risk that some customers would not return,” explains the store manager.

To maintain business, the work was carefully planned: technical interventions at night, refurbishments at the beginning of the week, and repositioning of products before each reopening. “The impact has been contained. Most departments were only disrupted for one or two days, with the exception of the grocery shop, where the reorganisation was more complex,” Barile continues.

Information campaigns were carried out in advance on social networks. But it was above all the presence of staff on the ground that helped to alleviate customers’ disorientation when faced with temporarily relocated shelves. “Even we were sometimes looking for the pepper,” jokes the store manager.

Optimised layout

Besides aesthetics, the project was aimed at an in-depth reorganisation of the space. “The customer path has been redesigned to make it clearer, with better-identified zones. For example, the creamery and delicatessen areas have been grouped together to make it easier to read what’s on offer,” explains Barile.

The “to-go” section, targeting office customers and visitors in a hurry, has been moved to the front of the shop, thus gaining in visibility. “Customers had the impression that we were offering more choice, while the number of items remained stable overall. It’s mainly the presentation that has changed,” he adds.

To cope with the increased staffing requirements, the shop was able to rely on the temporary reinforcement of teams from other outlets, such as those in Schmiede, Strassen and Schengen. This internal solidarity has made it possible to absorb peaks in activity without overloading the local team.

Located a few kilometres from the Belgian border, Delhaize Pommerloch attracts a diverse clientele: local, cross-border, family, but also tourists. The new shop aims to respond better to this variety of profiles, while maintaining one priority: “To remain customer-focused. If the customer is satisfied, the results will follow,” concludes Barile.

This article was originally published in .