Retailer Profi has recently opened the first supermarket made of ice in Romania, in the center of the country’s capital, Bucharest. The store has a similar trade area as most of Profi’s convenience stores, of about 150sqm and lists over 500 SKUs. “We’ve tested the concept in advance, in order to make sure the products don’t lose any of their characteristics at low temperatures. We’re not expecting large sales, since our objective was to strengthen our position as innovator on the market”, said company representatives in a press release.
Consumers interested in shopping at the first convenience store made of ice will need to enter the premises in groups of 25 at most, so that the temperature inside remains at the desired 5 degree centigrade, which prevents the store’s ice walls from melting. Founded in 1979 in Belgium, Profi entered the Romanian market in 2006 and currently has a network of 200 stores in the country.