Portuguese retailer Sonae MC has extended its 'Continente Card' loyalty scheme to customers of its neighbourhood franchised stores Meu Super.
The "Continente Card" is the largest discount card in Portugal with more than €1.9 billion in rebates awarded since its launch and currently has over 3.4 million users. Card holders can take advantage of unique discounts, promotional campaigns and the possibility of using the accumulated discounts within an extensive network of partner stores. Successful partnerships have already established with Galp, Zippy, Rock in Rio, the Portuguese Football Federation, Solinca, Well's, Modalfa and Solinca.
The Meu Super shops are located in residential areas, cover most of the country and have more than 23,000 m2 of retail space, with each store in the franchise system having between 100m2 to 450m2. One of the success factors of the brand has been a strategic bet on Continente private label products that account for between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of sales.
Sonae MC launched the Meu Super concept in 2011 and three years later has more than 150 stores, with a goal of reaching 200 by the end of 2015. The franchisee does not to have pay any fee or royalties and is only responsible for the purchase of equipment, minor works required and stock. The logistics and operational support are the responsibility of Meu Super.
In an interview for local daily Diario Economico, the head of Sonae MC Wholesale and Franchise, Francisco Silva, announced that the Meu Super supermarket chain should achieve sales above €80 million in 2015, compared to €50 million last year.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic
