SuperBiomarkt grows to 22 stores

On 28 August 2014, SuperBiomarkt opened its fourth store in the Schadow-Arkaden  in Düsseldorf. On the top floor of the shopping centre in the centre of town SuperBiomarkt offers over 6,000 organic articles in a retail area of 400 m². The company domiciled in Munster now operates 22 organic supermarkets in North Rhine-Westfalia and Lower Saxony. A fifth store is to follow in Düsseldorf in the spring of next year. SuperBiomarkt has developed from an organic shop founded in 1973 and claims to be the oldest active specialist organic company in Germany. Last year, it celebrated its 40th anniversary (see our earlier report).

(Picture: Michael Radau with an employee in front of the new store)

“We’re anticipating turnover of more than €50m this year“, says a delighted Michael Radau, the founder and chair of the board of SuperBioMarkt AG. Like-for-like, this represents growth of 5 %, and 15 % with the new stores, compared with 2013 (€42.5m net). Radau now employs around 600 people - about 50 of them are trainees and work-study students – and each store has a staff of between 20 and 25. He plans to add another two or three stores in North Rhine-Westfalia and Lower Saxony. As he points out: “There’s almost always a race with the two nationwide chains to get good locations,” and a ruthless struggle down to the last detail of the conditions ensues. Temma, Rewe’s organic supermarket subsidiary, is concentrating more on expanding nationwide than opening new stores in North Rhine-Westfalia where there are, however, still quite a few gaps on the map. (Picture: Advertising cubes in front of the new SuperBioMarkt store in the shopping centre)
 

“Based in quality, we want to achieve a different kind of customer retention than the usual price- oriented retention,” explains the 53-year-old Radau. In particular, SuperBiomarkt uses regional suppliers and adheres to the quality standards of organic growers associations like Bioland and Demeter. Large-scale pictures above the shelves show customers the producers and suppliers. Also, on seven screens in the store they run non-stop information about the origin of their goods. “There’s different info in each department,” Radau explains. In the fruit and vegetable section you see details of the regional producers; above a table with nut spreads from Rapunzel you see information not only about Rapunzel but also other suppliers of dry goods. The flat screen in the cosmetics department shows information only about natural cosmetics. “From our headquarters in Munster, we operate these same digital info programmes in all our stores,” says Radau, confirming that they are the first in the organic sector to make use of such sophisticated digital media. (Picture on left: Specialist meat sales staff and screen)  
 

Michael Radau is especially proud of the eleven metre long service counter for meat, sausage and cheese. “As far as we know, we’ve got the longest organic counter in Düsseldorf.” A special offering is the dry-aged organic meat, which you probably won’t find anywhere else in an organic supermarket. In a glass-fronted chilled cabinet you can see large pieces of meat hanging that, according to the sales assistant, is wonderfully tender. “Ideal for grilling or for frying,” says Radau. More than 90 % of the meat and sausage products are sourced from farmers in North Rhine-Westfalia. They are controlled by the growers’ association Bioland that has certified the counters in the SuperBiomarkt stores as the first official "Bioland meat counters" in the whole of Germany. The counter is managed by the trained chef and butcher Torsten Lokotsch. As in this case, SuperBiomarkt puts great value in all departments on specialist advice given by qualified staff. (Picture: Bread and bakery goods)
 

The organic wine and natural cosmetics departments are the best example. Michael Robling (picture on left) is the person to talk to in the wine department that offers around 200 different wines. In a three-temperature chilled cabinet wine is kept for tasting - red wine at 16 °C, white wine at 12 °C and fresh white wine at 10 °C. “When I started working at SuperBiomarkt my hobby became my job,” says an enthusiastic Robling, who is the first specialist adviser to be employed by the chain. But, as Radau points out, they will have to wait and see whether he will dispense his customer advice in one store or later will go from store to store. A specialist adviser is permanently on hand in the cosmetics department too.
 
Regional vegetables are supplied by Thomas Sablonski from the Bioland farm Essers in nearby Jüchen. His farm is the third oldest organic farm in North Rhine-Westfalia. He supplies the three SuperBiomarkt stores in Aachener Straße,  Nordstraße and Benderstraße. On 13 tables positioned in front of the new store in the shopping centre you’ll soon be able to buy not only salads and small meals but also drinks and snacks of all kinds. In the next few weeks, they are going to provide a corresponding offer on the fresh meat counter, so that customers can enjoy a lunch or a cake in front of the shop with a view of the circular courtyard, other shops and the attractive glass dome. (Picture on right: Children’s play corner)  
 

The other side of the Rhine is SuperBiomarkt’s next target: the lease for premises measuring 700 m² in Oberkassel has already been signed. In the spring of 2015, SuperBiomarkt is going to open its fifth store in the federal capital in the new Belsenpark to be created on the site of Düsseldorf’s former rail freight terminal. How will selling organics develop over the coming ten to fifteen years? Michael Radau assumes a market share for the organic sector of 15 % - 20 % of the total turnover of food. He says that the rural regions in particular have potential that has still not been fully exploited. (Picture on left: Cosmetics and body care products)
 

A year ago, Michael Radau, the father of three grown-up children, was elected the President of the Trade Association North Rhine-Westfalia. “I want to use my position to incentivise. Ecology and the economy can certainly exist in harmony.” So far from being a duty, taking part in opening  the Fa!r Trade Exhibition in Dortmund was something he really wanted to do.
 

Tip:

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