Portuguese retail group Jerónimo Martins has announced its H1 figures, posting an 8.7% increase in sales, totalling €8.4 billion across the group.
Every banner, from Pingo Doce in Portugal to Ara in Colombia and Biedronka and Hebe in Poland, has seen strong growth in their sales. The strongest growth comes from Colombia, where Ara saw a 53.2% increase in sales and the opening of 50 new stores, bringing the total to 439. The group also indicated that a distribution centre in the final stages of construction in Bogotà will be operational in Q3.
Biedronka, the Polish banner of the group which is set to have around 3,050 stores in Poland by 2020, also posted strong figures, with its sales growing 8.6% and a gain of 2 points in market share.
According to the group, this is a result of the 148 new private-label products launched to adapt to the latest consumer trends, such as certified vegan products or a new organic line of products. It also helps that Jerónimo Martins has focused its investment on its Polish banner, similar to last year, with €165 million out of the group's €295 million in capital (56%) invested in the development of Biedronka.
"Agility and resilience"
Those figures are especially good in light of the recent ban on trading on Sundays implemented in late 2017 by the Polish government. Speaking about this and the overall performance of the group, Pedro Soares dos Santos, Chairman and CEO said :
"Our teams delivered strong performances in competitive environments and we posted solid results in the first half of the year. This performance follows the consistent implementation of our strategy and the clear focus on our priorities.
"Our banners remained focused on sales growth and committed to reinforcing their positions in the respective markets. Biedronka added 2pp to its market share in the first half, demonstrating its agility and resilience in dealing with the initial impact of the Sunday trading ban as well as in setting the stage for continued growth.
The CEO said that the Ara banner in Colombia continues to expand and gain market presence.
He added, "Aware of the challenges ahead, we will continue to work to deliver sustainable profitable growth."
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Matthieu Chassain. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
