“The fresh produce presentation is rearranged daily”

CRU, the latest concept from the Colruyt Group, shows that partnerships with producers are very important. “The growers who supply to us are all permanent partners with whom we build long-lasting relationships. This comes from a shared passion to market an exceptionally good product. Our buyer follow up on every product, all the way from the lay-out of the cultivation plans, to the field, up to when it reaches our market. We are closely involved in the entire process,” says Sandra Michiels from CRU.

CRU has been active in Ghent for almost a year now. “We have seen the number of customers gradually growing. Many customers who visited out of interest the first time, come back more frequently by now. Our aim for this year is mostly that customers in Ghent know that there is a CRU, and what we stand for. The reasons for our success are mostly the exceptionally good flavour of our products: a growing group of people know how to appreciate it, and pay us an additional visit because of that.”

By now, CRU has three markets, in Overijse and Wijnegem, in addition to the one in Ghent. “We offer the same range on all three markets. The presentation is rearranged daily, just as with a weekly market. Fruit and vegetables are presented in abundance in high season. The concept is also the same for all three branches: normal, flavourful products, exceptional because of the manner in which they are grown and harvested, and brought to our markets as fresh as possible, with a lot of respect for the métier. The arrangement is adapted to the location: more of an open-market feeling, in one large space. Daily fresh fruit and vegetables are in the centre, the other métiers are around that.”

She indicates that a mostly urban public visits the Ghent branch. “These are people looking for pure products, a target audience for which flavour is very important. Ghent is different from the other two because we are in the middle of the city centre, at one of the most beautiful squares in Ghent. The restaurant Cuit – with an outdoor café – is located near the entrance. An escalator descends to our market, which is below street level.”

CRU is very strict in the field of quality. “Our partners know the quality we strive for, and they don’t offer products of poorer quality. In order to supply that great quality, we taste the products again and again. Only when a product is at the right flavour, do we offer it to our customers. If a product of poorer quality is supplied, we send it back to our partner. At the end of a season we quickly succeed when we stop a certain product.”