Ahold Delhaize is combining the physical stores of one of its brands with the online offering of another in a bid to increase convenience.
Customers of bol.com will be able to pick up orders from pick-up points in Delhaize supermarkets in the Antwerp province, allowing customers to combine their grocery shop with collecting a parcel.
Delivery to a store is free of charge and delivery time is the same as for home delivery.
The service will be tested over the summer before being rolled out more widely in the rest of the Flanders area.
The network of available stores will expand in the future, with Delhaize planning to open around 100 new supermarkets in the next three to four years.
The announcement provides more detail on plans outlined earlier this year.
Combining the strengths and assets of different brands is a mainstay of Ahold Delhaize’s current strategy. In October 2018, the company created new cross-selling opportunities by allowing customers of bol.com to sign into Albert Heijn’s online platform through the same account.
The two brands will also operate a combined subscription model for their delivery services: new subscribers to Albert Heijn’s home delivery service AH Bezorgbundel will get a free subscription to bol.com’s Select service.
Casino Group in France is undertaking a similar combination of online brand Cdiscount and urban outlet Franprix, allowing customers to order products from the former and collect them from the stores of the latter.
Delhaize has also introduced a new service which allows customers to reserve groceries online and collect them from AD Delhaize and Proxy Delhaize stores. The service in five different stores will allow customers to choose around 5000 items and collect them in store that day.
