Slovenia: Supermarkets AreThe Main Market Players, But Specialist Outlets Are Growing
by Redaktion (comments: 0)
Natural and organic retailers
Picture: Kalček
(Pictures can be enlarged by click)
The largest Slovenian supermarket chain Mercator carries the best stock of organic foods and is also the only one offering Slovenian organic products, developed through individual cooperation with producers/farmers. Organic products are also available in dm Drogerie Markt ("Alnatura" brand and others), Interspar and some other supermarket chains. (Picture: Kalček)
List of most important organic/health food shops:
Supermarket Kalèek, BTC Hall Nr. 9, Ljubljana
Jablana, covered market in BTC, Ljubljana
Ajda, Glavni trg 23, Maribor
Bioland, Celovška 79, Ljubljana
Kalèek, Trubarjeva 28, Ljubljana
Bioteka (in the Maximarket supermarket), Ljubljana
Biotopic, Stari trg 10, Celje
Luèka, Glavni trg 1, Kranj
Sanovita, Mlinska 3, Lendava
Dobra misel, Alpska cesta 42, Lesce
Vita, Vitacenter, Pivka 23a, Naklo
Arna, Delpinov 8, Nova Gorica
Naturashop, Portorož
Sivka, Frankovo naselje 69, Škofja Loka
Meta – Zdravo življenje, Kranjska c. 4a, Radovljica
Kalček Organic Supermarket (picture) opened recently in a Ljubljana shopping mall. It has a sales area of 250 m² and 95 % of its stock is organic. It carries the whole range of products from fruit and vegetables, bread and cakes, wine, beer, milk and milk products to special products for macrobiotics and clothes made of certified organic materials. Fresh produce is delivered directly from farms. From the outside, the shop is not easily identifiable as a supermarket, let alone an organic supermarket. There is only a signboard with the name of the shop hanging above the entrance, and during opening hours there is usually also a board in front of the stairs leading to the entrance. Once inside, the shop has a very pleasant, warm appearance, modern enough, with attractive wooden shelves and nicely fitted out. There is a lot of daylight. The shop is spacious (no sign of overcrowded shelves or products crammed in), with a relatively good separation of the types of product. It is a self-service supermarket, with one counter where the staff serves cheese and bread. All shelves and furniture are made of wood in a modern style and there are standard cooling shelves and fridges. Some furniture has been made especially for the shop. There is adequate space for displaying the products.
Jablana Healthy Food Shop was opened ten years ago. It is a small shop with just 33 m² of sales area and two regular staff. The shop is situated in a covered market place (see photo). Among the typical range of organic products, the shop carries natural cosmetics (Dr. Hauschka, Weleda and others), vegan sandwiches (own preparation), a line of macrobiotic food products, gluten-free products, books, and traditionally extracted salt from the Slovenian Adriatic coast. About 75 % to 80 % of the range is organic. The shop is situated in the shopping mall of a covered market place, along with other shops with a specialized conventional stock (bakeries, shops selling dairy products, honey, a butcher's shop, etc).
Jablana Healthy Food Shop is small and it can easily become crowded (if there are more than 5-7 customers at the same time). It is partly self-service and partly needs the help of the staff (for weighing cereals, pulses; serving the bakery products). Most of the shelves are wooden; the rest are made of other materials. There are two relatively small fridges. According to the owner (picture), in approximately six months they intend to become a shop with 100 % certified organic food and also to get a certificate for their food processing (they have their processed own food line).
Shop Ajda, is located in the main square of Maribor, the second largest city of Slovenia. It was opened in 1997 and has a floor space of 45 m². About 50 % of the stock is organic. All major suppliers deliver to the shop, but the owner goes personally to pick up items from small producers and organic farmers. It is a self-service shop, with a counter where the staff serves juice, bread and essential oils. The greater part of the furniture is made of wood; the floor is made of brick. The owner believes that an organic shop in Maribor has more difficulty surviving than in Ljubljana. There is no possibility of enlarging the shop in this location. The number of products (different kinds of foods from Slovenia and from abroad) is increasing, and they have re-arranged the shop to gain additional sales space. They would like to reintroduce fresh vegetables, because the weekly organic farmers' market in Maribor no longer meets the needs of the consumers, especially in the wintertime. (Picture: Jablana)
Contacts:
Kalček Organic Supermarket
Ekološka samopostrežna trgovina Kalèek
Šmartinska 152, HALA 9/4
Ljubljana
Jablana Healthy Food Shop
Marija Koèevar Fetah s.p.
Trgovina Jablana, Šmartinska 152
1000 Ljubljana
Shop Ajda, Maribor
Ajda d.o.o., Prodaja polnovrednih živil
Glavni trg 23, 2000 Maribor
Tags
Slovenia
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