As Greece and its prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, hold crisis talks in Brussels to prevent a default on the country's massive debt, Belgian retailer Delhaize has announced that it has no plans to leave the country.
Reuters reports that Delhaize, which operates Alfa-Beta in Greece, has no plans to leave, but it has taken measures to deal with a possible Greek debt default.
Alfa-Beta is the second-largest food retailer in Greece, and according to spokesman Nicolas Van Hoecke, business in Greece is prospering.
"We opened 27 stores in Greece in 2014, and we have opened 17 more this year," Van Hoecke told Reuters. "We offer high-quality products at affordable prices to our customers, and this has ensured our success in Greece."
He emphasised that there are no plans to leave, but did state that the retailer is taking "a number of measures to prepare for the consequences of a possible Grexit".
Alfa-Beta is part of Delhaize's south-eastern Europe division, which makes up 14 per cent of the group's total sales. In 2014, revenue grew by 3.2 per cent in the division, which also includes operations in Romania and Serbia.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by John Golden.
