To wrap the expansion plans of the supermarkets – What’s happening in Crete

More hesitant in terms of what they were planning on a few months ago is expected to be 2017, the expansionist movements of the chain super…
markets, which are watching closely the developments in the celebrated agreement “Marinopoulos” – “whole foods”.
The bad, as it turned out in 2016, the year the organized retail food and negative evidence with which it has launched in 2017, to push the enterprises of the industry to revise partially their investment plans, especially in terms of acquisitions of other chains, according to the “Daily”.
Even if they had started some discussions in 2016, or had βολιδοσκοπηθεί some chains, the relevant initiatives have been “frozen” until further notice.
New data, of course, create the concentration of “Marinopoulos” – “whole foods” per se and the delay in completion that will clear up the landscape, but also a specific event that is related to this: the decision of the Competition Commission requiring the “Sklavenitis” to proceed with the sale of 22 stores in Attica and Crete (19 in Attica and 3 in Crete), shops that belong to either the network of “Marinopoulos” or the network of “Sklavenitis”, with more to belong to the network of the second. The rival chains are already looking for the list of the exact addresses of the stores to be sold, a list of which is included in the confidential section of the decision of the Competition Commission. And that, because the acquisition of a store is often more advantageous solution than the creation at the outset of a new point-of-sale or from the acquisition of the entire, albeit short, chain.
The objectives of the “AB”
As stresses in the kathimerini.gr “AB Vasilopoulos”, which already from 2016 had identified two good local chains (in a statement of the chief executive officer, L. Vrettakou, “K”), has, according to information from the company, proceed to the relevant consultations and procedures. The company’s objective remains, of course, strengthen its presence in Northern Greece, Athens and Crete, but this may ultimately be achieved through the creation of new stores and not through an acquisition.
The other big winner from the collapse of the “Marinopoulos, Lidl, sets as a priority the modernisation of the store, while progressing by investing in lower prices via tenders in branded products. This policy is largely dictated by the company itself and not from suppliers. With these two strategic moves Lidl progresses, in fact, purely from a discount chain (hard discounter) in a low-cost (or low cost) supermarket, a model that seems to better suited to the profile of the Greek consumer.
The Îœetro (the name of the retail is in My Market), which last year acquired the “Veropoulos”, goes ahead in 2017 the main objective is the continuation of the renovation of the network. Until now it has been renovated about 1/3 of the store and the process is expected to be completed in 2018.
The plans of the “whole foods”
The “piggly wiggly”, which is found in the crosshairs of “AB Vassilopoulos”, without, however, the discussions to come to an agreement, is planning the expansion of its network, but in areas where it already is. The company, which last year appeared to desire the entry into the market of the capital, reportedly has put the project “on ice” waiting to see how it will shape the market landscape in the spring and then. The company, however, had a very good year, with turnover increasing by 7% compared to 2015, and is formed in about 800 million. euro.
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