For more than 20 years, the owned brand Vegavita has been an integral part of the world of plant-based products. As a pioneer, BILLA has set a milestone with PFLANZILLA, Europe's first store of a traditional food retailer with a purely plant-based range. One highlight of the store is the mushroom-based salmon fillet from Revo Foods, which is produced using a 3D printing process and is available in a supermarket worldwide for the first time. BILLA also celebrated the opening of a temporary PFLANZILLA pop-up store in Graz in November. BILLA PLUS stores also offer Austria's largest plant-based range with around 7,000 purely plant-based products.
33 percent more sales of price-reduced plant-based products at BILLA
BILLA is also a pioneer in the much-discussed price issue of plant-based foods with the aim of making plant-based products affordable for everyone in Austria. In November last year, BILLA reduced the price of 20 further items in addition to the 30 equally cheap or cheaper products. This was to ensure that all Vegavita products are priced the same or even cheaper than their animal counterparts. These price reductions have led to a 33 percent increase in sales since their implementation. Future new Vegavita products for which there is a comparable animal product will automatically be offered at the same price level or, if possible, at a lower price.
Verena Wiederkehr, BILLA Head of plant-based Business Development: "Part of our plant-based strategy is to always keep an eye on prices - and has been from the very beginning. Our aim is to make plant-based enjoyment affordable for everyone. Putting animal products on an equal footing with their plant-based counterparts in terms of price is an important step in this direction and has been very well received by our customers. This is demonstrated by the huge 33% increase in sales of reduced-price plant-based products. We are clearly investing in the right place. It makes us proud to set an important example and, as a food retailer, to bear the costs incurred."
Every tenth milk sold is already purely plant-based
Plant-based milk in particular is becoming increasingly popular. Between 2020 and 2022 alone, sales of plant-based milk in Austria rose by 21%**. At BILLA and BILLA PLUS, every tenth milk sold is now a plant-based variant. Nevertheless, plant-based milk is still taxed at 20 percent and animal-based milk at only 10 percent. This difference amounts to between 15 and 25 cents per pack or liter, which is particularly noticeable in times of price increases and inflation. Just in time for Veganuary, BILLA is setting an example and giving its customers this extra VAT on all chilled and non-chilled plant-based variants in January - i.e. on around 100 products.
"Putting plant-based and animal milk on an equal footing for tax purposes would not only offer our customers a financial incentive, but also give them a real choice depending on their individual taste. Especially in times of inflation, it is important to provide our customers with financial relief, just as various European countries such as France, the Netherlands and Finland have already enshrined equal VAT in law," says Wiederkehr.
Expanded BILLA GOOD FOOD Board focuses on plant-based and organic food
BILLA's wide range of products offers customers many opportunities to follow a sustainable and conscious diet. BILLA launched the BILLA GOOD FOOD Board to support them even better on their conscious nutritional journey. This board is made up of experts from the worlds of gastronomy, nutrition, professional sport and lifestyle and has been sharing useful inspiration, tips and tricks on all platforms for almost two years. Simone Kemptner, Lea Green and Lara Selina Diebold are now part of the group of experts, which already includes Richard Strebinger, Adi and Simone Raihmann, Hank Ge and Jelena Maier. This year, the BILLA GOOD FOOD Board is all about conscious, purely plant-based and organic enjoyment.
BILLA invited to a plant-based get-together at the Palmenhaus in Vienna
To mark Veganuary, BILLA hosted an evening dedicated to plant-based enjoyment. In addition to purely plant-based food and drinks, guests were offered a colorful program. They made flower crowns with "We Are Flowergirls", got tattoos from "Happy Needles", decorated sustainable shopping bags with "We love Handmade" and created their own nut butter with the BILLA PFLANZILLA nut press. Michael Paterno (BILLA Executive Board), Verena Wiederkehr (BILLA Head of Plant-Based Business Development), Daniela Schwarz-Knehtl (Head of BILLA Marketing), Felix Hnat (Chairman of the Vegan Society Austria), Lea Green (BILLA GOOD FOOD BOARD), Jelena Maier (BILLA GOOD FOOD BOARD), Lara Selina Diebold (BILLA GOOD FOOD BOARD) and Hank Ge (BILLA GOOD FOOD BOARD) were among those on site.
Vienna streetcar station "plants" people waiting with the help of augmented reality
Not far from the BILLA PFLANZILLA in Vienna, the streetcar station in Siebensterngasse in Vienna's 7th district is currently shining in the unmistakable PFLANZILLA jungle look with a unique effect. When people stand in front of the AR screen, they are virtually covered by jungle plants. You can take a seat here on benches that are modeled on pieces of tofu. The creative agency Tante Emma, which is also responsible for BILLA's website, social media and blogger relations, was responsible for the concept. The implementation was carried out together with GEWISTA and the Tante Emma agency.
Event tip: Insights tours with Verena Wiederkehr and tastings at PFLANZILLA in Vienna
This year, BILLA PFLANZILLA in Vienna will once again be the venue for purely plant-based tastings during Veganuary - including insights tours with Verena Wiederkehr, BILLA Head of Plant-Based Business Development, for the first time. Customers can take along their suggestions for product ideas and help shape the PFLANZILLA range. The tours will take place on January 19 (1 and 3 pm) and January 20 (12 and 2 pm). During the tastings, customers can expect homemade plant-based delicacies and confectionery products as well as brands such as Vegavita, Ja! Natürlich, BILLA Bio, Revo, Oatly - on January 19 and 20 from 10 am to 6 pm. Pre-registration is not necessary.
BILLA online store celebrates Veganuary
The BILLA online store is also celebrating Veganuary with many promotions on purely plant-based products. A separate tab shows the plant-based variety at a glance and from January 16 to 18, customers will receive a 25 percent discount on all products in the "purely plant-based" category.
* The comparison is made with BILLA's own brands with the exception of "Clever". If no comparable own-brand product is available, a comparable product from a third-party brand is used as a basis. The product price comparisons refer to the basic price per 100 g or per liter. Promotional prices are not taken into account.
** Good Food Institute Europe (GFI), "Austria: Development of the market for plant-based foods in the retail sector 2020-2022", published in 2023
