Organic cookery studio gives competitive edge

The times are getting harder for the operators of independent wholefood stores and organic supermarkets. The situation of the chains is increasingly positive, and they have significant market power. Given this state of affairs, retailers with just one shop are having to put on their thinking caps to find a way of securing their future and creating their own individual profile. They don’t all succeed as well as Frank Lüske, who runs the organic supermarket Biolüske in the Lichterfelde-West district of Berlin. Since founding the store in 2004, he has concentrated on fine foods and a reputation created by a cookery studio. In the autumn of 2008, an Alnatura store with 800 m² was opened just 200 m away, and tomorrow another Alnatura store is scheduled to open in the Lichterfelde district. (Picture: Biolüske is very visible on a main road in Lichterfelde-West)
“I always enjoyed being a host and organizing parties,” Frank Lüske declares (picture). When Lüske – now 42 years old – discovered a former 1950s cinema on a main thoroughfare (Drakestraße), that was suitable for conversion into a 350 m² organic supermarket, he didn’t hesitate. Despite onerous building regulations insisted on by the local authority and very high renovation costs, he fell in love with the location, and in the gallery he created a cookery studio. Every year, around 4,500 guests – 1,500 are children - come along to take part in a good 50 events. Lüske and his 42 employees offer a large number of different things for different groups of customers – from cookery courses for children, organizing birthday parties and regular evening events to business cooking for firms. Sometimes it’s an entertaining way of putting across cookery ideas; sometimes it’s more a question of socializing with colleagues.

“Stocking goods in the shop just because they are organic is no longer enough,” comments Frank Lüske. If you want a chance of surviving the tough competition from the organic supermarket chains, you have to come up with some new ideas to retain your customers – especially when your competitor is an Alnatura store. Alnatura, that has its headquarters in Bickenbach in the south of Hessen, relies heavily on price signals to the customer and this tactic often makes life difficult for competitors. “I don’t think we’ll even notice the new store,” says Lüske, “but overall the profiling pressure is of course very great.” Lüske’s aim is always “to do better”. This is why he recently invested heavily in new chill technology to exchange plug-in equipment for equipment connected to a central cooling unit, resulting in a reduction of the heat given off in the store. Moreover, the overall impression of the store benefits from the more modern appearance this change has created. He has also renewed the eight-metre long fresh food counter for cheese, meat and sausage, the chilled shelves for dairy products and the chilled vegetable shelves that now incorporate ultrasonic misting technology. (Picture: Organic businessman Frank Lüske in his wine department)

To offer something different from the generally available organic product range, Frank Lüske relies on a fine food range that he puts together himself (pictures) and on ordering direct from small manufacturers. Direct ordering from suppliers is hugely time-consuming, especially when dealing with several hundred different manufacturers, but it’s something that sets him apart from the rest – just like his cookery studio. He used to source 90 % of goods from the wholesalers Terra and Midgard, but now it’s only 50 %. “We focus mainly on customers with an appreciation of taste and the art of cooking, for whom optimum quality is important,” says Frank Lüske.

As well as having the cookery studio and a range of fine foods, his organic supermarket is top quality in terms of fresh food. As you enter the store you see the organic bakery goods counter, so customers can just drop in to get their bread rolls. The presentation of fruit and vegetables has been well thought out and the produce is absolutely fresh (see picture below). Towards the back of the store you find a wide range of fresh meat products on a service counter (picture on right). “We’re clearly different from big chain stores, in particular in terms of the meat we offer and the fresh foods we stock – in most cases they simply can’t match our quality standards,” Lüske maintains. At Biolüske, service is a top priority, and that’s why he delivers orders to customers and also operates as a caterer, supplying organic meals for events and functions.

Tip: www.biolueske.de

(Photos by kind permission of Frank Lüske)