… the editorial staff

Benoit Van Trimpont Editor-in-chief The Gazette

“52 pages in the Gazette, five times a year, in three languages, for 33,000 workers, that's what I work toward every day. As the editor-in-chief I determine the content. It's quite a puzzle, because we want to show a good mix of all brands, store formulas, departments and project teams. I coordinate everything, but of course I don't make the Gazette on my own. A small team of editors, photographers and designers work toward the same goal to make a beautiful magazine every time. Sometimes a particular article cannot be published last minute, two weeks before the Gazette is printed. And you can't have a blank page! We always manage to solve it but we have to get quite ingenious at times.”

Chris Tournicourt

Dutch-speaking editor

“As corporate editors, we actually give a voice to Colruyt Group through a variety of communication channels. We keep our group's workers up-to-date via the Gazette and the news items on our portal. And we reach the rest of the world through press releases, our corporate website, our annual report, social media, etc. We work directly with the corporate marketers and are on the front line together. Sometimes it's a battle to make the deadline, because a press release can be changed right up to the last minute. Based on our expertise, commitment and professionalism, we guarantee high-quality communication, and I'm proud of that.”

Laura Vanneste French-speaking editor

“French texts, that's what I do! Language is my passion. Even at a young age, I used to participate in the dictation Olympiad in Tournai. Solving questions about spelling or grammar is a game for me. A large part of my work is translating Dutch texts which can be a challenge, especially when the number of characters is limited. We always need more words to say the same thing in French. (laughs) As editor-in-chief, I proofread the entire French Gazette. Something which I really enjoy! Even if it's full stops and commas, the details are important. And by reading all those interesting articles, I learn a lot about the company.”

Katleen Van Den Eede Photographer

“Cathy, Anja and myself are the photographers of the corporate editors. With our camera in hand, we travel all over Belgium, literally! One day I'm visiting the partner who makes our access badges, the next I'm standing up to my ankles in water in a tunnel under the Dassenveld distribution centre. The most diverse people appear in front of my lens. To put people at ease, I have a whole array of corny jokes. My showpiece is the annual photo book for all workers. We have freedom to experiment with image composition and lighting. It doesn't get much better than that for a photographer.”

Virginia Rahoens Graphic designer

“Putting texts and photos into a nicelooking layout is how I would describe my job as a graphic designer. And creating visual elements to make the message clear and inviting. With an infographic, icons or a highlighted quote, for example. I sometimes feel like a mediator, because editors tend to write texts containing too many words, whereas all the photographers want is large, artistic photos. (laughs) As a team we always find a compromise. Sufficient white space is also crucial because you don't want to overload readers. Expressing my creativity within the rules of the house style is the challenge I take up every time.”

Thierry Somers Webmaster

“Part of my job is publishing a web page online or sending emails. I helped make Colruyt Group's entire website like this. It's more than just making an attractive layout. To be found in a search engine such as Google, you need to know about SEO or search engine optimisation. That's really my thing: I love getting into the nitty-gritty of the analysis and reporting of our websites. Often, with some small changes - changing the title, for example - we can ensure that our website suddenly appears in the top five of the search engine and is therefore visited more often. That's satisfying.”