Portugal’s largest bio supermarket chain, Brio, has announced plans to double its number of outlets, opening five new stores in 2016.
Its owner, investment holding The Edge Group, has earmarked €2.1 billion for the planned expansion, with new openings planned in Lisbon, Aveiro, Porto and the Algarve. The company is also considering expansion in foreign markets, with Brazil seen as a primary target, and is also launching an online store.
In a recent interview for local daily “Diario Economico”, the president of The Edge Group, José Luís Pinto Bastos, said he expects this year’s turnover to reach €4.5 million, as a result of steady growth of business and a 10-15% annual growth in the consumption of 'bio' products.
However, he pointed out that 'bio' is still a niche market, so the company has to carefully analyse the locations for the opening of new stores. According to Pinto Bastos, the planned opening in the Algarve is justified by the existence of a large number of foreign residents, adding that the best store currently is in Lisbon’s Chiado district, visited by many tourists.
95% of the fresh produce sold by Brio come from Portuguese suppliers.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
