About Smart Innovation
Smart Innovation is Colruyt Group’s innovation hub. This is where our R&D&I teams combine their expertise and strengths to create unique and ground-breaking solutions. Several teams work together within this dynamic environment: Smart Technics, Smart Farming and Smart Utilities. It is the beating heart of innovation within Colruyt Group, where cooperation, knowledge sharing, and commercial opportunities come together to further strengthen the group.
Smart Innovation is the epicentre of research, development and innovation within the group. It enables Colruyt Group to respond quickly and purposefully to new market developments. With a practical approach, Smart Innovation always takes the most efficient approach to each project, whether this involves internal development, market procurement or collaboration with specialised partners.
Smart Innovation also commercialises certain developments with a view to reinvesting in innovative projects and solutions, always with a focus on making Colruyt Group stronger.
Three areas of innovation
Smart Farming
Smart Farming researches and develops innovations for farming and cultivation, using innovative technologies and data analysis to increase productivity and sustainability. The combination of our expertise in the areas of technology and sustainability leads to efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective farming and cultivation methods.
Smart Utilities
Smart Utilities focuses on optimising the use of energy, water and materials. The projects under Smart Utilities aim to improve operational efficiency, reduce the environmental footprint and cut costs while helping the group achieve its sustainability goals.
Smart Technics
Smart Technics focuses on designing and implementing technology solutions for retail environments and the supply chain. The aim is to optimise our stores and logistics centres by using our expertise in computer vision, robotics, and machine engineering to support the group in a sustainable way.
Our goals and mission
The mission of Colruyt Group’s Smart Innovation projects is to boost creative and sustainable innovation within the group while ensuring a balance between in-house innovation, strategic partnerships, and investments in start-ups and scale-ups. Smart Innovation focuses on supporting strategic changes in the area of innovation by paying attention to cost efficiency, digital integration and delivering high quality in all areas of expertise while taking into account customer needs with respect to budget, sustainability, health and convenience. As a result, Smart Innovation forms a key pillar in the continuous growth and development of Colruyt Group, because it helps bring about innovative solutions that have an impact both internally and in the external market.
