carlostore
- Type
- Retailer
- Location
- Charleroi, Belgium
- Industries
- Shortening supply chain, Food ingredients & products
- Domains
- Fruit, Plant based primary products, Vegetables, Bakery, Processed food products, Beverages
About carlostore
CaroloStore is a cooperative supermarket in Charleroi that puts local producers and artisans at the center of its model. It offers a retail space of nearly 600 m² where customers can find mainly local food products, along with eco-responsible non-food items, all positioned around proximity, transparency, and fair pricing.
The store serves consumers looking for fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced products, while also aiming to support the economic viability of producers in the Charleroi-Métropole area. It presents itself as an alternative to conventional mass retail, with a democratic cooperative structure and a focus on a more inclusive and human-scale food system.
Core Values
- Local sourcing: The company emphasizes short supply chains and products from Charleroi-Métropole and the surrounding region, reducing intermediaries and strengthening local agriculture.
- Fair pricing: It promotes a “fair price for all,” aiming to cover production costs and provide producers with a decent income while keeping prices accessible for customers.
- Transparency and trust: The store highlights direct contact with producers, clear product origins, and a retail experience built on explanation, advice, and openness.
- Sustainability: Its offer includes seasonal, diversified, and mostly organic or participatory-guarantee products, plus durable non-food items aligned with eco-responsible values.
- Cooperative governance: The project is built around democratic participation, with producers and artisans involved in decisions such as pricing and product selection.
Unique Aspects
- Producer-led cooperative model: CaroloStore is structured as a cooperative supermarket where producers and artisans are active stakeholders rather than distant suppliers.
- Strong regional identity: The store explicitly positions itself as “Charleroi’s” market, working with around 100 local producers and artisans from the area.
- Broad local assortment under one roof: It combines fresh food, bulk goods, beverages, cosmetics, and non-food products in a single cooperative retail space.
- Inclusive project ambition: The project states an intention to create jobs for people in socio-professional insertion or with disabilities, making social inclusion part of its model.