louis delhaize supermarket at Brussels Airport

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As of 1 November the arrivals hall at Brussels Airport will feature a real supermarket. The brand-new 400m² louis delhaize supermarket will be run by Press Shop / Relay. The supermarket is open every day including Sundays and public holidays from 7 am till 10 pm.

The new supermarket is located next to the Quick restaurant in the arrivals hall, only a few steps from the customs checkpoint where arriving passengers enter the country and where thousands of friends, relatives or taxi service providers are waiting for them.

The (on average) 25,000 passengers who arrive at the airport every day no longer have to worry about the empty fridge that awaits them at home. Food articles and fresh products constitute a major part of the supermarket's product range. The many people waiting in the arrivals hall as well as the taxi drivers will also benefit from this retail store. Moreover, with prices being the same as in comparable supermarkets outside the airport, the opening of the store is also good news for the many thousands of airport staff. They can now shop for supper before they leave for home, which will save them an extra trip to their local supermarket.

The opening of a full-service supermarket meets the need of each of these consumer groups: a nearby, convenient store with a large product range, interesting opening hours and a quick service.

The range of products offered by the store is therefore tailored to their specific needs. Both among airport staff and passengers there's a clear demand for fresh food articles: vegetables, fruit and meat products. Passengers and airport staff also ask for food articles that can be served as a meal with minimum preparation. To meet this demand, the store offers a diverse selection of ready meals and a large range of bakery products. louis delhaize also provides a pressing service, pre-paid phone cards, DVD sales and rental service, a 3 Suisses pick-up point and a postal service point.

"This is an important breakthrough in terms of airport retail", Kurt Staelens, Commercial Director of Brussels Airport, says. "For quite some time now arriving passengers and staff have been asking for a larger choice of food articles, both for use at home and for the road. The solid preparation and close collaboration with Press Shop / Relay and the supermarket group louis delhaize are sure to make this store a success story."

Brussels Airport press release - 30/10/2008

I'm extremely happy with the supermarket, and I'm sure many other people working at BRU share this opinion. The store carries a nice and surprisingly large range of goods and is reasonably priced. I wish them all the best!

Btw, already a shoplifter got caught at the store on its opening day!

I can only wish them good business. But I think they will face some practical hurdles, compared to the normal supermarkets, if it comes to the supply routes (security measrues?) , clean up, glass bottle refunds etcetera.
But I do think that some accustomed passengers will start to use it when they return in the evening to buy a ready meal, or some small groceries, before they go pick up their car at the parking lot.