Spanish retail giant Eroski has announced that it opened 52 franchise stores in 2020, investing over €7.8 million and creating approximately 312 jobs.
The new stores, mainly located in autonomous communities, include nine in Catalonia, eight in Madrid, seven in Andalusia, and six in the Balearic Islands, among others.
The retailer also opened new franchises in the Balearic Islands, Navarra, Galicia, the Basque Country and Valencian Community, as well as Aragon, Castilla León, and La Rioja.
The initiative, along with its transformation project, boosts Eroski's 'Contigo' model, which it says 'defines the new generation of Eroski stores.'
'Consolidated Network'
Franchise director at Eroski, Enrique Martínez, explained, "It is very important to grow, but even more to have a healthy and consolidated network, which is why we are very rigorous in selecting locations and in the profiles of potential franchisees.
"Eroski franchises are ultra-proximity supermarkets of about 150-400 square metres that integrate the local product of each geographical area, with a wide assortment of fresh products and food and offer close and trustworthy attention through our franchisees."
Eroski plans to open more than 70 franchises in its 2021 financial year.
In the past six years, the retailer opened 340 outlets to create a franchise network of more than 500 stores.
It plans to expand this network and focus on Andalusia, Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Levante, for the next few years.
Service Station Network
Last year, the retailer entered into an agreement with AVIA to open Rapid supermarkets in the service stations.
Eroski has already opened 10 Rapid stores in AVIA service stations in Basque Country, Madrid, La Rioja, Navarra and Valladolid.
By 2021, the retailer plans to expand its presence in 15 more petrol stations.
Rapid, launched in 2017, is Eroski's self-service convenience store for gas stations, operating all 365 days of the year between 8:00 to 23:00 hours.
The approximately 150 square-metre format offers the most extensive commercial assortment per square metre, with 3,600 items that cater to the needs of around 800 consumers.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
