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Food lover’s paradise: Zurheide in Dusseldorf

René Repko

De Toekomst van Retail | New Retail

Skip value retail or hard discount. Discard online food shopping. This is about the real deal: Zurheide’s new supermarket in Dusseldorf.

Smack in the middle of the city center, close to famous Konigsallee, the Edeka affiliate opened its 8th store in March 2018. Well….. I wouldn’t call it a store, nor a supermarket. Zurheide is an immense food lover’s paradise. It is over 10,000M2 with simply the best food offering I’ve seen recently. Including five restaurants, a champagne bar, a mozzarella bar and sushi bar.

The architecture of the store is impressive and overwhelming but still cosy, with a very strong light plan (note the illuminated floor lighting), an impressive, concrete floor and an open black ceiling. The corridors are really wide; with fresh counters and restaurants positioned on the periphery. There is no background music, nor any large (in your face) signs or graphics. The store has two floors, with on the ground floor the more traditional supermarket elements. Adjoined to the supermarket is an area with a coffee corner, a pastry unit, a juice bar, a bakery, a sushi bar and a vegan restaurant, with no need to enter the store.

The organic department is huge (800M2 with 8,000 sku’s) and the ‘obst markt’ impressive, note the salad bar with automatic opening covers. But the real theatre starts on the basement floor: with the many luxurious fresh counters, restaurants and bars. Here is also an enormous wine department annex champagne bar, with one magnum Palm d’Or Champagne being offered for €1,090.

Note a display with pre-packed Wagyu and Kobe burgers by Sanders, next to the premium beef bar. The experience is overwhelming with all the beautiful designed bars and restaurants, there is even a pasta factory on site and a working olive oil press, next to a lot of ‘Space Odyssey’-looking refrigerators.

Although a fast in-out trip is possible many customers might easily stay here over two hours or longer. Price points are Edeka level, so competitive (2L Coke for €1.19), but large parts of the fresh and out-of-home offerings are Zurheide only, and quite premium priced. The total feel of the store is, despite its size, cosy and warm. Navigation is a bit more complex though, as gondolas, bars and restaurant have been positioned in a sort of non-square mix.

You might feel lost. Graphics and signing are a bit old fashioned and don’t actually match with the strong look and feel of the fixtures and departments. Zurheide’s digital footprint is limited to wifi based electronic shelf labels and fast self-check outs. Zurheide is not offering any online food delivery….yet. There is a limited set of non-food Tchibo merchandise, which feels off brand.

This 60,000 articles new flag ship store positions Zurheide even more firmly in the top of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is a Walhalla for foodies, a culinary experience for shoppers and certainly a must visit. Even if I were to live over 30 kilometers away I would consider doing my Christmas shopping here, or for any other special occasion. And if I were to live or work close-by, Zurheide might become my local hangout.

Zurheide’s definition for this concept is “Erlebnis-supermärkte der Extraklasse” (sort of: superior experience food shopping) and frankly that’s an understatement. This a food retail like no other.

Adress: Berliner Allee 52, 40212 Düsseldorf, Mo – Sa: 08:00-22:00

Article was first published on www.renerepko.com

Rene Repko © Edwin Smulders

René Repko

De Toekomst van Retail | New Retail

René Repko is één van Nederlands meest vooraanstaande retail marketeers. Al meer dan 15 jaar...

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