BILLA PFLANZILLA opens in Graz, Austria on November 9th. After the flagship store in Vienna, this is the second REWE Group store in Austria with a vegan shop concept.
The range in the new, around 100 m² BILLA PFLANZILLA store in Graz will include around 2,000 purely vegan products. BILLA PFLANZILLA recently celebrated its birthday, having opened its first plant-based store in Vienna in September 2022.
Earlier this year, Billa revealed that it now offers Austria’s largest range of plant-based products, with around 4,000 products verified as animal-free by the Vegan Society Austria. The chain has achieved this by significantly expanding its own-brand vegan range, along with offering products by other brands including Juicy Marbles, Wunderkern, and Revo Foods, whose mycoprotein-based salmon filet launched at the Vienna store this September, marking the first-ever 3D-printed product available in supermarkets worldwide.
As one of the largest food retailers in Austria, BILLA is reacting to changing eating habits and has set itself the task of meeting the needs of its customers with a diverse plant-based range and corresponding offers with a comprehensive plant-based strategy.
As stated by Greenpeace this year, on average, Austrians eat around 89 kilograms of meat every year, which is more than three times as much as recommended by the Austrian Society for Nutrition. Extrapolated to the whole of Austria, a meat-reduced diet can save 3.7 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year – this corresponds to the total greenhouse gas emissions of the federal state of Salzburg per year. Attempts by retailers to help combat this and to encourage plant-based consumption in the country are therefore not only commendable but necessary and urgent.
Peter Gschiel, BILLA Sales Director in Styria, comments: “We are delighted to open the second BILLA PFLANZILLA right in the centre of Graz, between the River Mur and the ever-busy Jakominiplatz. Residents of the city and the surrounding area are offered a great place to go for purely plant-based enjoyment. The range extends from an essential basic assortment to popular classics and new innovations from young, up-and-coming start-ups, local entrepreneurs and visionary pioneers who are rethinking the topic of plant-based. The team at the new BILLA PFLANZILLA is happy to provide advice and assistance with every purchase.”
