As the popularity of plant-based foods continues to rise, Austrian supermarket chain Billa has opened a concept store called Billa Pflanzilla selling only plant-based products with more than 2,500 SKUs.
In addition to a wide product range spanning all supermarket categories, the 200 square metre space includes a snack bar with ready-to-eat meals and a recipe of the month display where advice on how to the cook the meal is merchandised alongside the primary ingredients.
At the self-serve Ottakringer Fassbar beer tap customers can fill returnable bottles, while educational events on the topic of plant-based nutrition will be held regularly in-store.
Perhaps most interesting and novel of all is the nut press where customers can fill their own reusable containers with their choice of nuts, before having them chopped, ground or turned into nut butter.
The location aims to make it easier for plant-based consumers to find all the products they need in one place while giving up-and-coming plant-based brands a place to spotlight their products.
CEO of REWE International AG, which owns Billa, Marcel Haraszti, said: “We are offering innovative start-ups and producers who are committed to purely plant-based products a valuable stage and are looking forward to a number of exciting collaborations.”
Elke Wilgmann, consumer director of Billa, added: “Our customers can shop in a relaxed way – without having to spend time searching for purely plant-based products and checking the labels.”
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