Colruyt Group announced on Tuesday its plan to open all Okay convenience stores on Sunday mornings to better meet customer expectations.
Discussions are planned in the coming months with social partners and employees to explore this initiative. Colruyt aims to open its 146 Okay stores at the end of the week.
Other supermarkets in the group, such as Okay City, Okay Direct, Cru Markets, and some Comarché stores, are already open on Sundays. Some Colruyt stores also open on Sunday mornings in tourist areas during peak periods, but this is not common practice, the group said.
“The societal context is experiencing major changes and consumer habits have radically shifted in recent years,” explained Christophe Dehandschutter, Director of Okay. He noted that customers increasingly prefer a flexible shopping experience throughout the week, including Sundays.
In mid-February, Carrefour Belgium confirmed it was considering opening its hypermarkets and supermarkets on Sundays. Delhaize supermarkets, which completed their franchising process at the end of 2024, have already generalised Sunday openings for several months.
Sunday openings have also become the norm in franchised and independently-managed stores. Given the planned discussions, the exact date for the implementation of Sunday openings at Okay stores has not yet been announced.
