At Blokker, customers can also pick up bread, chips and other foods from tomorrow. This is possible through a collaboration with the Chinese robot shop Ochama, a cross between a takeaway supermarket and a department store.
The Ochama concept goes like this: customers order their groceries via app or site, pay online, and then pick up the groceries at a time of their choosing. Due to robots and conveyor belts, hardly any human beings are involved.
Ochama only has four stores in the Netherlands (Leiden, Diemen, Utrecht and Rotterdam), but wants to establish itself in more places through the Blokker stores. Blokker’s stores are not immediately equipped with robots, but they do receive pick-up points. The first will open tomorrow in a Blokker branch in The Hague, followed soon by Rotterdam, Zoetermeer, Amstelveen and Breda. Both parties hope to expand the cooperation.
Fresh fruit, potatoes and cola
And that is where it seems to be interesting for Blokker, because from now on it can use Ochama’s range. That looks different from the traditional department store, known for blenders, vacuum cleaners and ironing boards. Ochama also sells food items, such as fresh fruit, potatoes and cola.
“You can now order all your daily groceries via Ochama and collect them from us,” says Jeanine Holscher, CEO of Blokker. At the same time, she hopes that customers will be tempted to buy Blokker equipment to prepare those groceries. “It’s important for us to take advantage of every opportunity.”
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You can now order all your daily groceries via Ochama and pick them up from us
Whether Blokker is thus launching a serious attack on the supermarkets? Dirk Mulder, retail specialist at ING, suspects not. He points, for example, to Hema, which also tried to sell food for a long time, but is now also coming back. ,,De Hema is now going to try it with theme cakes and things for drinks and parties. For many people, it just makes more sense to go to the supermarket for food items.”
Mulder describes two types of consumers. The first, somewhat older group, who do their shopping every week on the basis of a list. The second, younger and ever-growing group that decides what to eat on the evening itself. “I don’t see the concept of Ochama being suitable for one of these types of consumers. And customers who order groceries online probably also prefer to have it delivered at home.”
Chinese parent company
And yet Mulder calls it an ‘exciting initiative’, first of all because it can generate more traffic at Blokker. But also because Ochama came to Europe with big plans. Behind the takeout store is the Chinese parent company JD.com, after Alibaba and Amazon, JD is the third largest e-retailer in the world. In comparison: with a market value of 95 billion euros, the company is worth more than three times more than Ahold Delhaize.
Supported by that major player, Mark den Butter of Ochama is trying to get a foothold in the Netherlands. “We target customers who are planners. People who want to do their shopping quickly and efficiently due to lack of time,” says the director of operations. By increasing the number of pick-up points via Blokker, Ochama hopes for national coverage and fame. Den Butter aims for easily accessible locations; preferably at local shopping centers and small town centres. “Parking facilities are essential for us, close to shopping centers or smaller town centres. The intention is to be outside with stuff within 3 minutes.”
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