Germany: REWE to Open First Vegan Supermarket in Former Veganz Store

From vegconomist.com

German retailer REWE is set to open its first fully vegan supermarket, called REWE voll pflanzlich, in Berlin. The store is on the site of the former Veganz supermarket at Warschauer Brücke in Berlin-Friedrichshain, which closed in December after the company decided to focus entirely on product manufacturing.

REWE has declined to comment on the news, which was shared by Supermarktblog from an insider source. The publication notes that while a sign with the name of the store is visible on the building, this name has not yet been trademarked. However, Supermarktblog believes the store will open this spring.

Notably, REWE Group owns the Austrian supermarket chain BILLA, which has opened two fully vegan stores in Vienna and Graz in recent years. The retailer has also opened dedicated plant-based areas in a further 21 stores. The success of these concepts may have encouraged REWE to adopt a similar strategy in Germany, where half of consumers are reported to be flexitarian and 1.5 million people are vegan.

© REWE

Wide plant-based range

In recent years, REWE has increasingly been catering to the growing demand for plant-based foods. In 2022, the retailer opened a vegan meat counter at its Kaarst location after seeing a 45% increase in sales of its vegan range. At around the same time, REWE revealed that several vegan products — such as alternatives to salami, steak, and cheese — would be available at service counters in selected stores.

REWE reportedly now offers over 1,400 plant-based products, including meat and dairy alternatives, sweets, snacks, and more. In a survey conducted on behalf of the retailer last year, 57.5% of respondents said they had previously bought vegan products, while almost 27% replaced animal products with plant-based alternatives several times a week.

“We are increasingly noticing that people are open to vegan alternatives and that they are happy to try them out. At REWE, for example, there is now a wide range that can provide a lot of variety in the kitchen. In addition, many classic dishes can also be made vegan – completely without compromising on enjoyment,” said a spokeswoman for REWE in a press release.

https://vegconomist.com/retail-e-commerce/rewe-first-vegan-supermarket/