"We are a real supermarket, only purely plant-based." With this promise, operator Dennis Henkelmann and REWE Group Management Board member Peter Maly opened the retail company's first purely plant-based supermarket in Germany in mid-April. The fact that the concept of the first "REWE voll pflanzlich" in Berlin fulfils this promise is confirmed by around 5,500 weekly purchases. Additional self-checkout tills have already been installed and opening hours have been extended.

This is exactly what customers praise the most - that they can find a full range of products from vegetables to baked goods and chilled products to confectionery and drugstore items. Customers also see another major advantage in the fact that they can simply pick and choose from all the shelves at "REWE voll pflanzlich". Compared to conventional food retailers, there is no need to search for vegan items and check the ingredients.

At "REWE voll pflanzlich" on Warschauer Brücke in the Friedrichshain district (Warschauer Straße 33), there are more than 2,700 vegan products on 212 square metres. By way of comparison, the range in standard REWE stores includes up to 1,400 vegan items.

Salesman Dennis Henkelmann perceives a slightly different clientele in REWE voll pflanzlich than in his neighbouring classic REWE store: "Plant-based products also do very well in my regular store. However, flexitarians tend to shop there and the shopping baskets are a colourful mix. In the Pflanzlich store, it's more vegans who deliberately only want to buy plant-based products." Henkelmann is excited to see how things will continue at Warschauer Brücke in the coming months. "We will see in the coming year whether customers will accept a purely plant-based food offering in the long term."

The most popular products
Convenience is by far the strongest segment at REWE voll pflanzlich. The most popular products come from the world of baking: in the first six months, around 6,000 chocolate croissants and Franzbrötchen rolls each passed through the checkout. Home-made snack rolls such as spelt schnitzel and smoked tofu are also among the top sellers. The team produces the popular coconut-almond-based fresh creams in the store every day. Following the launch of savoury varieties with spring onions and peppers, the team has followed up with sweet varieties such as raspberry and mango. Unsurprisingly, fruit and vegetables are also among the best-selling products, with cucumbers and bananas from the REWE Bio private label being the most popular items. The creamy oat-based "Sovteis" for self-tapping has also proved popular and is among the top 10 products.

More checkouts and longer opening hours
A potato-based plant drink, vegan broths and tofu finishers - these are just some of the products that have made it onto the "REWE voll pflanzlich" shelves in recent months. "Our aim is to get new items on the shelves as quickly as possible. We also want to fulfil customer requests, so we added gherkins, regional mustard and various types of liquid smoke," explains Project Manager Isabell Kroll. Shortly after opening, the store team placed a board at the entrance on which customers can write their wishes. "We also receive really good suggestions via our Instagram profile, all of which we review," adds Kroll.

As with a conventional supermarket, the frequency of visits to REWE voll pflanzlich varies depending on the day of the week and time of day. A few weeks ago, the checkout area was expanded to five checkouts with two self-checkout modules for peak times. Customers can pay with cash at two of the checkouts, while the other three are cashless. The store team recently extended the opening hours by one hour in the evening, and "REWE voll pflanzlich" is now open until 11 pm.

REWE voll pflanzlich" is still in the test phase. This is also emphasised by Peter Maly, Management Board member of REWE Group. After the first six months, he is satisfied with the development of "REWE voll pflanzlich": "Opening a purely plant-based shop in the current market environment was a bold step. However, we knew that we had great expertise in the vegan range and a lot of experience from our more than 3,800 supermarkets across Germany. So far, the initial figures and customer feedback have confirmed that the idea of a plant-based full-range store can work in a suitable location and space." Tens of thousands of people cross Warschauer Brücke, where the "REWE voll pflanzlich" is located, every day, and an S-Bahn station and a large number of office buildings are in the immediate vicinity. "We will decide at a later date whether we will open further purely plant-based supermarkets. Our REWE stores and customers throughout Germany are already benefiting from the products that we are testing first at the REWE voll pflanzlich in Berlin and then releasing to everyone in the product range."