French retail group Les Mousquetaires plans to invest €280 million in Portugal over five years and open 106 new stores and 90 fuel stations by 2020.
The Portuguese operations accounted for about five per cent of total group sales in 2014, or €2 billion (out of a global total of €40 billion).
The Intermarché stores and gas stations contributed the most to this result (€1.9 billion), followed by Bricomarché (€84 million) and the Roady insignia (€36.7 million).
While considering these results are very positive, CEO Patrick Renault believes that the group's presence in Portugal can still gain more prominence.
As part of the five-year investment plan, Intermarché will get the biggest share (€200 million) to open 63 more stores (it currently has 232), and another 90 gas stations. Bricomarché will invest €60 million to open 15 more stores, while car supply insignia Roady will increase the number of outlets from the current 28 to 60.
In view of the good results from fuel sales (€440 million in 2014 or +7 y/y), which contributed to 27 per cent of total sales, the aim is for 80 per cent of Intermarché stores to have a gas station by 2020.
According to the CEO of Intermarché, Vasco Simões, currently there is a Intermarché store every 16 kilometers but the goal is to increase this average as well as the current market share of around 10 per cent.
Besides new stores, the growth of market share will also include an e-commerce offer, which should be launched this autumn.
For 2015, Intermarché hopes to increase sales by four per cent, by continuing with its aggressive pricing policy and focusing on fresh produce (currently representing 40 per cent of sales).
If the group's investment plan goes ahead, over 3,400 jobs will be created in Portugal and sales should increase 6.2 per cent to €3.12 billion by 2020 (€50 billion globally).
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic
