Ebl: Organic chain with 16 stores in Franconia in Germany

In the middle of April 2010, a refurbished and enlarged Ebl-store opened its doors in Nuremberg. The original shop had been there since 1996. Now the new store measures 500 m² of retail space and sells a modern range of over 6,000 food products. At a long fresh-food counter customers can buy a wide range of meat and sausage products from the in-house butcher’s department, that only processes meat from regional organic farms where animals are raised in compliance with the guidelines of one of the German farming associations like Demeter or Bioland. The Ebl chain, with 16 stores in and around Nuremberg, is planning three more new openings in the next few months. (Pictures: Ebl store in Nuremberg-Zirndorf)
The new store has made a good start. In addition to the well stocked organic meat counter, there is a counter with many varieties of cheese and various fresh antipasti, and you can buy snacks and coffee in the little bistro. If you go shopping by car, parking is free of charge in the underground garage. The opening hours are customer-friendly from 8.00 to 20.00 Monday to Saturday.

The last big new opening was in the middle of September 2009 in Zirndorf, on the outskirts of Nuremberg (pictures). Now the number of stores belonging to the company founded in 1994 by Gerhard Bickel has risen to 16 organic supermarkets and large specialist shops. Nine of these stores are in Nuremberg itself, and the rest are in close proximity to the city. In 2008, the chain had a turnover of 30 million euros. Bickel took over Ebl (the initials in German stand for “simply live better”) after the restructuring of the Marktkauf chain. Ebl now employs around 260 people.

The organic supermarket in Zirndorf has a big glass façade that makes it look transparent and open. With its large-format signs, it is very visible from the nearby major through road and it is easy to get to. Located on an out-of-town commercial estate, it shares a large car park with other shops like Burger King, Dänisches Bettenlager, Das Futterhaus, dm-Drogerie, Edeka, Norma and Takko. By relocating from a shopping centre, the store has expanded its retail area to around 500 m² - nearly three times its former size. Whereas in the first 15 years the owner of Ebl preferred shops with 150 – 250 m² of retail space, he obviously thinks the time has now come for stores on a bigger scale.

The Zirndorf store sells 6,000 articles and so has a comprehensive product range. Large-format image pictures (picture) in the entrance area and elsewhere indicate the regional provenance of many of the products. The core marketing statement of Ebl is the direct sourcing of as many products as possible from the locality in Franconia. To the immediate right of the entrance, you find green fresh food in a chilled room (ca. 35 m²) partitioned off by plate glass walls (picture below on left). Even in the evening between 18.00 and 20.00 the containers are still being topped up regularly, so that everything is there for customers to buy. Going round in a clockwise direction, the chilled fruit and vegetable department is followed by eleven metres of closed chilled cabinets containing a vegetarian range, dairy products and frozen foods. The meat and sausage department and bread and bakery goods, both with service, are located along the rear wall of the store.

On the left side of the shop are the beverages: long shelves displaying about 120 different wines (picture below on right), with an adjoining, well stocked juice and water department where you can buy in bulk. Behind the checkouts is a well designed cosmetics department (about 40 m²). The colour of the ceilings and walls of the store is bright green, and the floor is contrasting orange.

In the middle of September 2010, a small Ebl shop moved from another shopping centre to new premises with over 200 m² opposite Castle Stein. This relocation meant that the stock range could be greatly extended. The new store now welcomes its customers with more than 6,000 food articles and a big fresh food counter with sausage and cheese specialities. Another store is planned for December 2010 in Nuremberg-Reicheldorf. Two new openings are scheduled for 2011 in Erlangen and Nuremberg.

(Pictures below: on the left: bread and bakery goods; in the centre: approximately 10 m chilled cabinets for dairy and vegetarian products; on the right: wine department. All photos taken in the Zirndorf store)

Magazinstr. 2	96052 Bamberg
Hilpertstr. 23/Ecke Karl-Zucker-Str.	91052 Erlangen
Hauptstr. 15-17	90537 Feucht
Schwabacher Str. 137/Ecke Herrnstr.	90763 Fürth
Am Festplatz 1	90562 Heroldsberg
Ansbacher Straße 130-132	90449 Nürnberg
Katzwanger Hauptstraße 58-60	90453 Nürnberg
Äußere Sulzbacher Str. 121-123	90491 Nürnberg
Laufamholzstraße 40	90482 Nürnberg
Kaulbachstr. 5/Ecke Pirckheimerstr.	90408 Nürnberg
Harsdörfferstr. 32 -34/Nähe Peterskirche	90478 Nürnberg
Sulzbacher Str. 77-81	90489 Nürnberg
Wilhelmshavener Str. 15	90425 Nürnberg
Brettergartenstr. 95	90427 Nürnberg
Am Gewerbepark 2	90552 Röthenbach / Peg.
Rothenburger Str. 22	90513 Zirndorf