Retailer Spar Slovenija posted gross revenue of €729.6 million for 2014, up from €727.3 million in the year before.
General manager Igor Mervič said 2014 was a "good year" for the company, in view of the continued decline in revenues for the sector and the 1.5 per cent drop in private consumption.
Questioned by journalists about net profit, Mervič hinted that the figure ranges between €10 million and €30 million.
Spar produced 6,900 tons of bread and pastry, which is more than in 2013. With its own bakery products, Spar manages to cover almost half of this product offer in stores. The retailer also strengthened its private label brand, both for cheaper and premium products, which now account for about a quarter of all its sales.
Last year, Spar opened two new stores - a hypermarket in Škofja Loka and a supermarket in Laško. Currently, it has a total of 92 stores in Slovenia, of which 33 are Spar supermarkets, 45 Spar hypermarkets, 13 Interspar hypermarkets and 1 Spar City store. The Spar outlets are regionally dispersed throughout Slovenia, with a presence in almost every town.
Mervič expects that the total number of stores will reach 100 by mid-2016 and that by April will be known the fate of the €100 million investment in the Spar center in Šiška near Ljubljana. The development of the location has been hindered for more than 10 years due to building permit problems and bureaucratic procedures.
For 2015, the retailer is also planning the renovation of several Spar and Interspar stores, including the one in Ljubljana Citypark.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic
