Brussels: specialist organic stores on the increase

For ages, the European capital city of Brussels belonged to the organic diaspora. Wholefood shops were on the small side and were run rather unprofessionally, and you looked in vain for organic supermarkets. Now, however, a number of well presented specialist organic stores have been opened that offer consumers organic marketing of a new order. The drivers of this development are both small organic chains and independent entrepreneurs. But in spite of attractive outlets, the number of customers, that includes many people working at EU institutions, has remained at quite a low level – Belgium is regarded as not being particularly bio-savvy. (Picture: Dominque Turkel-Lemaire from Be positive at Place Jourdan in the heart of Brussels)

The specialist organic store Be positive, that opened in the Place Jourdan in the centre of Brussels in November 2010, sells 7,000 articles. Inviting chairs and tables (picture) have been placed between the big trees on the pavement in front of the shop in anticipation of good weather. The square, that is surrounded by historic buildings, lies in the middle of an affluent inner city residential area that is also home to office blocks belonging to the EU. A prime location for EU employees and parliamentarians, you might think. The store is bright and friendly and, as the owner Dominique Turkel-Lemaire points out, designed in keeping with Fengshui criteria. She is just greeting an elderly lady and wishing her a belated happy birthday and is asking her how she feels today. She regards having good, personal relations with her customers as crucial. In the background, shoppers hear the sound of music from all over the world. “I find an open and cheerful approach is important, so that we appeal to people who don’t normally buy organics,” explains Dominique, who now employs three staff.
 

On the ground floor she offers an attractive range of fresh fruit and vegetables. You then move on to a dozen dispensers where you can fill bags with loose goods (picture below). Then come the shelves stocked with dry goods. Tasting of juice produced by a manufacturer of food supplements is underway here. At the back of the shop there is a bistro with a five tables and a dozen seats that attracts customers in the lunch hour in particular (picture on right).  Salads, cooked vegetables and various combinations of juices plus fresh pressed juices are available at the tables every day. In summer, there are another 24 places in front of the shop. For the reasonable price of 3.25 to 3.95 euros you get an organic sandwich, a salad or a soup for lunch.
 

The former Spanish/English translator took the decision to retrain. She attended courses in natural remedies and aromatherapy, and in April 2008 she opened her first wholefood shop in the vicinity of the EU parliament – a shop with 85 m² that is now well established. (Picture on left: pleasant ambience for shoppers; at the back fruit and vegetables)

“My second store has also made a very good start,” Dominique is pleased to report. A good 200 customers a day come through the doors. The product range in the 120 m² upper story – natural cosmetics, food supplements, body care, baby clothes and books -  leads to a particularly high average spend per customer. “Till receipts per head are about 25 euros,” the 50-year-old Dominique explains.
 

There is a sitting area where you can at leisure look through books that offer a balanced overview of our current state of knowledge regarding nutrition and health. She stocks books in French, English, Dutch and German. Cosmetic treatments and massage are available in a special booth (picture) – shiatsu, massage for pregnant women and babies, Thai and shantala massage, face and body care, manicure, pedicure and hair removal. All of these use organic products that are also on sale in the shop.
 

Whilst Dominique presents the friendly face of the business, her partner Josef Turkel takes care of the administration in the back office. The main suppliers are Biofresh, Hagor, Hygiena, Vajra, Biovita, Mannavita and Natur- Inov. These eco-entrepreneurs would love to source more from German manufacturers, but there are communication problems. “When I go the stands of big German manufacturers like Andechser at BioFach, there’s no one there who speaks French,” says the sprightly Dominique in amazement. The opening times of Be positive are 10 – 20.00 during the week, and until 18.00 on Saturdays. On Sundays they are open for four hours from 10.00 to 14.00. (Picture on right: Tasting sessions held by manufacturers stimulate business at Be Positive)

A short time ago, another specialist organic store belonging to the Origin’O group opened in Brussels. The chain has 14 stores all over Belgium and has set itself the aim of taking over ageing stores, after which they renovate and open under a new name. This is what they did last year in Overpelt (near the border with Holland) with a 200 m² store and in Overijse – a suburb of Brussels - with a 345 m² store. Sometimes they create completely new stores, such as in Frankrijkstraat in Brussels, where on 18 July of this year a new Origin’O store was launched. (Picture on left: Origin'O supermarket in Overijse)
 

Sequoia (picture) has three organic supermarkets in Brussels (see our earlier report). The last of the three (800 m²) was opened in November 2010 in the south of the city in Watereloo and is now well established. The store is easy to spot from a busy through-road ans there is underground parking from where you can take a lift direct into the  supermarket. The store has modern and attractive styling. It sells a wide product range and you can do a lot of your shopping there. Prominently placed to advertise the store is the fruit and vegetable department near the entrance that you can see into from the street. Then comes a well stocked cheese service counter with antipasti and prepared salads. What you don’t find, however, is anywhere to sit and have a coffee, cake or snack. Apart from organic food, in all three stores in different suburbs of Brussels Sequoia specializes in beds, lamps, books gift articles and other accessories.
(Picture on left: Sequoia store in Brussels-Waterloo)



Tip:
www.be-positive.be
http://www.origino.be
http://www.sequoiashop.com/