Discount Retail Chain Lidl Polska focused on the development of the chain, investments in infrastructure, pro-ecological activities and social commitment. The key initiatives include, the construction of the country's largest distribution center in Skawina and the continuation of cooperation with the WWF Poland Foundation. Aleksandra Robaszkiewicz, Director of Corporate Affairs and CSR, informs about the most important projects and plans for the second half of the year. Infrastructure investments "The first half of 2025 was full of new challenges for Lidl Polska, but also satisfaction with achieving the intended goals," says Aleksandra Robaszkiewicz. "The customer is at the center of our interests, which is why we primarily strive to offer high-quality products at low prices during everyday shopping," he adds and emphasizes that Lidl Polska remains a socially responsible company. At the end of June 2025, the Lidl Polska chain had over 900 stores located throughout the country. The company maintains a stable pace of development: it opens several dozen outlets a year. New stores are being built in both large cities and smaller towns. "We want as many people as possible to have access to our offer. We are investing in well-connected locations with the possibility of building comfortable car parks, emphasizes Aleksandra Robaszkiewicz. From January to the end of June 2025 Lidl has opened several new stores. Among them are outlets in towns where the chain has not been present so far in Rypin, Milicz, Marcinków, Pniewy, Szubin, Wolbrom and Zakręc. In many smaller towns across Poland, the retail landscape has so far been less competitive, dominated primarily by Dino and Biedronka. However, Lidl’s expansion into these areas is set to significantly shift this dynamic, according to DRC. In June, the construction of a new distribution centre in Skawina, the largest Lidl logistics facility in Poland, began. "This is a strategic investment that will support the development of the network in the south of the country and increase our logistics efficiency," comments Aleksandra Robaszkiewicz. The modern facility will provide jobs for about 200-250 people, and its opening is planned for spring 2027. Environmentally friendly solutions In April, Lidl Polska, as the first retail chain in Poland, launched bottle vending machines in all its stores. They accept plastic beverage bottles (up to 3 l) and metal cans (up to 1 l), also from other manufacturers. "From the very beginning, we wanted not only to test the technology, but also to educate customers and support their pro-ecological attitudes. In May, the company doubled the value of the discount for returned packaging from 5 to 10 gr. Seeing the growing interest and commitment of customers, we decided to extend the campaign for the entire holidays, until the end of August," emphasizes the Corporate Affairs and CSR Director at Lidl Polska. To date, customers have returned more than 37 million PET bottles and 8 million cans. Cooperation with the WWF Poland Foundation remains an important social initiative. Sport, safety and equal opportunities In the second quarter, Lidl started promoting the CRIVIT brand, offering affordable sports clothes and accessories. "We want to democratize access to sport. We want every family to be able to do sports without any problems, regardless of where they live or the size of their wallet," explains the Lidl Polska expert. An initiative that supports this mission is the nationwide social campaign "Action BoJa" implemented together with WOPR. Read more: Lidl is moving to smaller towns and developing a chain in the south of Polish #smartdiscount #lidl #poland #expansion #towns #local #smaller #dc #warehouse #logistics #sustainability #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Biedronka chain may be interested in taking over some Carrefour stores in Poland. The acquisition would enable a surge in revenues of Biedronka's owner Jeronimo Martins Polska. The company admits that the acquisition would make it easier to achieve its long-term goals. Biedronka may be interested in taking over part of the Carrefour chain in Poland, which would facilitate the achievement of the goal of achieving EUR 50 billion in sales annually by 2029, reports the wnp.pl portal based on Bloomberg reports. Biedronka monitors the situation According to the agency, Ana Luisa Virginia, CFO of Jeronimo Martins, was to confirm the view that the takeover would be a beneficial solution, but stipulated that the takeover of the entire Carrefour chain in Poland would probably not be approved by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. She admitted that the owner of Biedronka is "monitoring the situation" in case the French retailer intends to withdraw from the Polish market. Let us remind you that in the first half of 2025, Biedronka's sales in local currency increased by 5 percent, and comparable sales increased by 0.9 percent. Biedronka also managed to increase its market share. Sales reached €12.4 billion between January and the end of June this year, up 7.1 percent compared to the first half of 2024. The Jeronimo Martins report states that the first six months of 2025 were marked by increased uncertainty, caused by global geopolitical turmoil and political instability in key European economies. "In an environment that remains volatile, we expect consumers to remain cautious and restrained, and market competition to remain intense. Despite this, the forecasts presented on March 19 remain largely unchanged" - it was pointed out. "Our retail chains will continue to take care of price competitiveness, maintaining the loyalty of customers who choose our stores and trust the value we offer, while strengthening our market positions" - the retailer announces. Read more: Biedronka may take over some Carrefour stores in Poland. This would enable a surge in sales #smartdiscount #biedronka #growth #expansion #acquisition #carrefour #poland #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Germany has re-vamped a next door grocery store offering only non-food variety products. In an effort to keep possible supermarket competition out of this lucrative location. Under the name “Home & Living,” the retailer is showcasing its own six non-food private labels in a store area of about 500 sqm. Large marketing investments Lidl’s non-food store is located in Lottstetten, Germany, near the border with Switzerland, opposite a traditional Lidl discount store. The store features a wide selection of household appliances, textiles, tools, home accessories, sports items, toys and many more items from its non-food private labels Crivit, Esmara, Livarno, Lupilu, Parkside and Silvercrest, Lebensmittel Zeitung reports. The new store in Lottstetten, Baden-Württemberg, near the Swiss border, will now serve as a “permanent store for in&out non-food sales.” Non-food has become an important focus for Lidl in recent years. This is evident from the significant marketing investments made by the retailer, which has hired Arnold Schwarzenegger as the face of the DIY brand Parkside, is an official partner of several UEFA football competitions, and is actively sponsoring a professional cycling team. In the past, Lidl has experimented with temporary stores for specific non-food brands: last year, there were a Lupilu store in Belgium and Parkside DIY stores in Hungary and Poland . However, a store featuring all of the retailer’s non-food private labels is the first. The initiative is noteworthy given the success and growth of large non-food variety discounters like Action and TEDi in Germany and the rest of Europe. Nevertheless no real competition to their wider and larger food and non-food assortment. Read more: With its first non-food store, Lidl is taking on Action and TEDi - RetailDetail EU #smartdiscount #lidl #nonfood #germany #switzerland #lottstettem #aldi #netto #penny #action #tedi #location #store #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Poland is launching the "Aldi Outlet" campaign specially marked zones with discounted assortment will appear in 30 selected stores. The non-food offer will include household items, toys, clothing for adults and children and home decorations. According to the retail chain, products at special prices as part of the "Aldi Outlet" campaign will be available in specially marked baskets in the store. Customers will be able to count on discounts of up to 50 percent. "Outlets will be launched in selected stores in different regions of the country. Special baskets with articles at promotional prices will appear in stores, m.in . in Wrocław, Kraków, Katowice, Poznań, Szczecin, Gdańsk, Bydgoszcz and many other cities," emphasizes Magdalena Iwańska-Burda from the Aldi Poland Press Office. The offer will vary depending on the store, so it is worth checking the availability of specific items on site. T The new offer starts on August 1 and will be valid until stocks last. Due to the limited number of products and the variable availability of the assortment, it is worth following local information or visiting the store as soon as possible after the start of the campaign. Read more: Aldi opens outlets in Poland. LIST of all locations #smartdiscount #aldi #poland #outlet #discount #variety #nonfood #inout #overstock #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Falling sales, frugal consumers and shops that promote their private labels are keeping the manufacturers of A-brands awake. According to market researcher YouGov, only four of the ten best-known brands managed to increase their popularity with consumers last year. YouGov studies the receipts of 130,000 households in 19 European countries and looks at 16,000 brands. And it's not just about how much of a product is sold, but also about how many consumers buy a certain product and how often. More than sales or volume, these consumer reach points determine the popularity of a brand. The researchers also measure popularity by looking at what percentage of households in an area buy a product. In technical terms, they call it penetration. Of course, the YouGov researchers couldn't resist turning it into a competition. Undisputedly number 1 in Europe is Coca-Cola. With a penetration of 65 percent, Coca-Cola was present in three-quarters of European households. "It is not a drink, but a part of our lives," the researchers write enthusiastically. The popularity of a brand also says something about the success of advertising. One of the fastest growing companies in the top ten is the German candy brand Haribo, which has been taken from a shelf 578 million times and is present in 44 percent of households. According to the researchers, the candy factory owes this success to an advertising campaign in which children perform with children's voices. The campaign has been running since 2014 and, according to YouGov, has generated brand awareness of 92 percent in Germany, 88 percent in Great Britain and 78 percent in Poland. 'Shopping across the border pays off': especially saving on A-brands when shopping in Belgium and Germany The most popular brand in the Netherlands is Lay's, which was taken off the shelves 73 million times, just above dairy brand Campina with 70 million consumer reach points. Coca-Cola may be undisputedly at the top, but alternative drinks are on the rise. Iced coffee and iced tea, yogurt drinks, mixed cocktails and sports drinks are among the fastest growers. Energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster are also growing rapidly, but are not in the hands of more than 30 percent of European consumers. The three fastest growing companies in Europe are Twix with 3.7 million new customers, followed by Danone with 3.2 million new customers and in third place Philadelphia with 3.4 new customers. Read more: A-brands are losing ground, but this brand is the most popular: three-quarters of European households have it at home | The Telegraph #smartdiscount #retail #research #privatelabel #ownbrand #netherlands #europe #fmcg #expansion #growth #dynamic #brands #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google #danone #lays #cocacola #redbull #monster #campina #haribo #twix #mars #philadelphia #yougov #pepsico #heineken #inbev

Discount Retail Chain Lidl UK is preparing to open its 1,000th UK store in November this year, 31 years after opening its first. The discounter staged a parliamentary breakfast attended by 40 MPs to highlight the “huge milestone”. Lidl currently has more than 980 UK stores, having already added at least 10 new ones so far this year. Lidl UK reported: "Later this year, we'll be opening our 1,000th store in Great Britain - a huge milestone. Beyond the number, it reflects just how embedded Lidl is in communities up and down the country". This milestone is a slightly delay of its 1,000 UK store target was set to reach by 2023 as DRC published in 07/2020, see this article: UK: Lidl targets 1,000 stores The delay in reaching the 1,000-store milestone was due to a strategic shift in 2023, where Lidl scaled back store openings (from ~50 annually to 25) to focus on warehouse capacity investments, including a major distribution center in Luton. Higher interest rates faced by Lidl’s parent company, Lidl Stiftung. By 2024, Lidl accelerated its expansion again, opening 10 stores before Christmas 2024 and nine in February 2025, aligning with their revised timeline to hit 1,000 stores in November 2025. They also secured a £70m deal to sell and lease back 12 stores under construction, boosting their expansion. Lidl’s long-term goal is now 1,500 UK. #smartdiscount #uk #expansion #growth #development #lidl #goal #longterm #1000 #stores #gb #milestone #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Variety Retail Chain Dollarama Inc. announced Tuesday the closing of its previously announced acquisition of The Reject Shop Limited following receipt of the necessary shareholder, regulatory and court approvals. Headquartered in Melbourne, The Reject Shop is Australia’s largest discount variety retailer with a well-located store network of more than 390 locations spanning every Australian state. This strategic acquisition marks Dollarama’s entry into the Australian market, building on its proven track record as a leading Canadian value retailer with a growing presence in Latin America through Dollarcity, said the company. “We are pleased to officially welcome the TRS team to Dollarama,” said  Neil Rossy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dollarama. “Expanding our international reach supports our long-term growth strategy, and we are thrilled to be embarking on this exciting new chapter with TRS’s local leaders and more than 5,000 employees. By working together and applying Dollarama’s strengths in sourcing, merchandising and retail operations, we are well positioned to deliver compelling value to Australian consumers and to drive the expansion of our new Australian growth platform over the long term.” Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Montréal, Quebec, Canada, Dollarama is a recognized Canadian value retailer offering a broad assortment of consumable products, general merchandise and seasonal items both in-store and online. It has 1,638 locations across Canada. Dollarama also owns a 60.1% interest in Dollarcity, a growing Latin American value retailer. Dollarcity offers a broad assortment of consumable products, general merchandise and seasonal items at select, fixed price points up to US$4.00 (or the equivalent in local currency) in 644 conveniently located stores in Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru. In March, Dollarama announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all the issued and outstanding ordinary shares of The Reject Shop Limited for an all cash consideration of A$6.68 per ordinary share, which values The Reject Shop’s ordinary share capital at approximately A$259 million (C$233 million). The Transaction will be implemented by way of an Australian scheme of arrangement. The Reject Shop Board of Directors unanimously recommended that The Reject Shop’s shareholders vote in favour of the Arrangement, said Dollarama at the time. Headquartered in Melbourne, The Reject Shop is Australia’s largest discount retailer with a store network of more than 390 locations across the country. Its offering includes private-label and national brand products. The Reject Shop generated consolidated sales of A$866 million (C$779 million) for the last twelve-month period ended December 29, 2024. Read more: Dollarama completes acquisition of Australian discount retailer The Reject Shop #smartdiscount #dollarama #canada #therejectshop #dollarcity #australia #expansion #acquisition #growth #development #stores #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Aldi will cooperate in a test project of the city of Cologne with two supermarket parking spaces which will also be accessible to residents in the evening hours in the future. Specifically, the parking spaces are to be used for other purposes when the stores are closed. The model is initially to be tested where the parking pressure is greatest, according to the city of Cologne. From 18 August, the parking spaces of the Aldi stores in Bilderstöcken (Osterather Str. 26) and Ehrenfeld (Marienstr. 147-159) will also be available outside opening hours for motorists, who can park their vehicles there. Initially, it is planned that the parking spaces can be used on weekdays between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. After-work parking in Cologne: New cooperation with Aldi Süd Ascan Egerer, Head of the Department of Transport , is pleased with the start of the project: "With the development of a concept for the multiple use of parking spaces, we want to create a new offer, especially for the districts with high parking pressure. I hope that we can inspire even more food retailers for our concept [...]." In September, there will be a round table with food retailers to explore further options. 30 euros a month: Cheapest parking offer for Cologne residents Customers can book a parking space at Aldi Süd via an external provider. A parking space costs four euros per night, a month 30 euros. The system is to work exclusively digitally, including automated checks of license plates. This is also intended to conserve resources. The city of Cologne is already working with the service provider on around 1,000 private parking spaces. "With after-work parking, we are now also making a contribution to improving the traffic situation in Cologne. We relieve the public space, reduce the parking pressure in the Veedel and help to compensate for the loss of inner-city parking areas," says Björn Just, head of Aldi Süd's Cologne real estate office. If the pilot project is successful, Aldi wants to examine the expansion to other stores. Read more: Aldi Süd: Discounter introduces parking offer for residents in Cologne #smartdiscount #aldi #sued #cologne #germany #parking #cars #businessmodel #cooperation #test #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Spain has reached 480 stores in Spain after adding more than half a million new shoppers between June 2024 and June 2025, which represents an increase of 8% in its number of customers, consolidating itself as the fastest growing supermarket in the country for the fourth consecutive year, according to the company itself. The discounter estimates that households that shop in its establishments can save an average of 20 euros per week thanks to its own-private label brand assortment and low prices, which means about 1,000 euros in annual savings per family, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel. Aldi continues with its expansion plan and plans to open more than 20 new stores before the end of 2025. Today it has opened its second store in Finestrat (Alicante), a province where it already has more than 40 supermarkets. It has also strengthened its presence in Andalusia with the opening of its third store in Vélez-Málaga, exceeding 30 stores in the province, and will open a new supermarket in Mojácar on July 30. In Catalonia, Aldi has opened its first store in Torroella de Montgrí (Girona). Read more: Aldi surpasses 480 stores in Spain and gains more than half a million new customers in one year - Forbes Spain #smartdiscount #aldi #spain #expansion #growth #development #stores #footfall #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Leading Chinese snack mass retail stores Busy for You and Super Ming officially announced a strategic merger. Merely one month later, the newly merged group acquired investments of CNY 700 million and CNY 350 million from food brands Haoxiangni and Yanjin Shop, respectively. The considerable investments are resulted from the soaring development of the distinctive offline snack retail channel in China, where a wide variety of snack food products from diverse brands are sold at relatively lower prices. According to Euromonitor, the sales value of this retail channel in 2022 was CNY 41.9 billion and estimated to continue growing with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46%-68% in the following three years. Additionally, the number of this type of offline stores reached 13,000 in 2022 and was projected to reach 30,000-45,000 in 2025. Reasons Behind the Flourishing Development The popularity of the snack retail channel is closely associated to its multiple product categories, cost-effective commodity, as well as comfortable and convenient consumption experience. Generally, this range of store offers at least 1,000 stock keeping units (SKU) and updates 10-20% of the products monthly to provide diverse choices for consumers. For example, Busy for You has approximately 2,000 SKUs and updates/adjusts products from three to five times per month. Super Ming also has about 2,000 SKUs and introduces more than 100 new commodities monthly.  Meanwhile, the prices of products in these stores are 20%-40% cheaper than those in supermarkets, which precisely caters to consumers’ current consumption concept. After COVID-19, product cost-effectiveness is one of the prioritised concerns of Chinese consumer when they make purchasing decisions. Taking Oreo’s sandwich cookie as an example, a 116g pack in the snack mass retail store costs CNY 4.9-5.5, while priced at CNY 6-7 in the supermarket. The price gap arises because snack mass retail stores skip distributors and source products directly from snack food enterprises at lower prices. Moreover, these stores are mostly located adjacent to residential communities and well-decorated with eye-catching signs and warm lighting. The commodities in the stores are also displayed orderly on the shelves within an area of over 100 square metres. Due to the stores' layout and design, consumers can purchase the snacks on their way home and choose products freely in a comfortable environment, which also contributes to their favour to this store type.  Current Competitive Landscape and Coverage Area Amid the rapid growth of the offline snack retail channel, major players are continuously enlarging their store number to grab more market share. A notable example is Busy for You, which has experienced a remarkable increase in its offline store count, jumping from 300 in August 2020 to 4,000 by October 2023. In the first half of 2023 alone, the company opened 1,000 new stores, averaging six new stores per day. Currently, the landscape of the sector can be described as “two superpowers and several major powers”. Haoxianglai and Busy for You are the top team of this sector, each accounting for approximately 18% of the market share. The middle tier consists of Super Ming and Yummy Snack, both of which have surpassed 2,000 stores as of August 2023.  The intense competition within the sector has prompted a trend of consolidation among players, aiming to strengthen their market position. As previously mentioned, Busy for You and Super Ming merged, but they are not the only ones pursuing this strategy. Wanchen, for instance, integrated its four snack mass retail store brands: Luxiaochan, Laiyoupin, Haoxianglai, and Yadiyadi, into a single unified brand named Haoxianglai. Similarly, Snack Joy, a prominent snack mass retail store in South China, strategically integrated with another brand, Snack Meme, resulting in their combined store count exceeding 600. At present, these stores are mainly situated in lower-tier cities of China. On the one hand, the rent costs in these cities are more affordable than in large cities, enabling the stores to maintain lower prices of their products. On the other hand, in some lower-tier cities, purchasing snacks online is not as convenient as in these stores nearby the community on account of less efficient logistics. According to Euromonitor, currently, this snack retail channel achieves a high penetration rate in lower-tier cities in southern, southwestern, and eastern China. In the future, Euromonitor estimates that this channel has significant untapped market potential in the central, northern, and northwestern regions of China. ChemLinked Insights Snack mass retail store represents a distinctive offline channel in China for snack food and takes up an increasingly significant proportion. For instance, Busy for You was the largest customer of Yanjin Shop in 2022, occupying 7.31% of its sales value, far surpassing the traditional supermarket channel Walmart. Benefiting from the expansion of this store type, in H1 2023, Yanjin Shop harvested the greatest half-year financial results in 2019-2023. Therefore, snack food brands may consider exploring the opportunities in this rapidly developing channel, so as to increase sales and expand market reach. Read more: https://market.chemlinked.com/insight/a-distinctive-snack-retail-channel-capturing-consumer-attention-in-china #smartdiscount #wanchen #china #snacks #confectionary #growth #development #Yanjin #Luxiaochan #Laiyoupin #Haoxianglai #Yadiyadi #SuperMing #snackjoy #busyforyou #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain 3B Stores Bolivia celebrates its 2nd anniversary with its MEGA SAVINGS PROMO: The entire store and all stores on sale FROM JULY 24 TO 27! Tiendas 3B, the chain of savings stores, preferred by thousands of Bolivian families, celebrates its anniversary with an unmissable promotion: all stores on sale for 4 consecutive days! From July 24 to 27, customers will be able to enjoy discounts on absolutely all products, in all 3B stores. 3 reasons not to miss this SAVINGS party: More than 300 products with more powerful offers than ever! From food, beverages, chicken, dairy, personal care products, household products, baby products and much more, the offers are more powerful than ever! EXTRA 10% discount on your own brands with Savings & Quality guarantee Its own-brand products: San Felipe (Food & Beverages); Mr. Power (Home Care); and Sissu (Personal Care), with proven quality, with a customer satisfaction rate of 95% (Captura Consulting). Totally unbeatable prices with an EXTRA 10% SAVINGS. 5% discount on all other products in the store Yes, the entire store is discounted in this MEGA SAVINGS PROMO! Savings upon savings so you can fill your cart without emptying your pocket. A shopping experience that celebrates with you "Our anniversary is an opportunity to thank all our customers for their preference and loyalty. At Tiendas 3B we not only celebrate as they say: with great fanfare: we celebrate with real offers that have a positive impact on the pockets of Bolivian families," said Andrés Zamora, Marketing and Customer Experience Manager of Tiendas 3B. "This anniversary is much more than a commercial celebration. It is a reflection of the growth of a model that is committed to the country, that generates formal employment, that expands rapidly and that is transforming the way Bolivian families make their purchases. In each new store, in each new customer who trusts us, we reaffirm our mission: to be closer and closer, with fair prices, guaranteed quality and real savings," said Alfonso Kreidler, Executive President of Tiendas 3B "What we are building is not just a chain of savings stores, it is a network that allows us to fulfill our purpose of providing savings and well-being to Bolivian families." Said Juan José Landivar, General Manager of Tiendas 3B. About 3B Stores Tiendas 3B is the first discount store chain in Bolivia, with a presence throughout the department of Santa Cruz. It currently has 41 stores in operation, and plans to reach 65 stores by the end of the year, always with the same promise: Good, Nice and Cheap. #smartdiscount #tiendas3b #bolivia #expansion #growth #anniversary #promotion #development #mexico #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Mass, owned by the Peruvian giant Intercorp and parent of the retail company InRetail, made its arrival in Chile official with the acquisition of Erbi and its 33 stores. With this operation, the conglomerate led by the Rodríguez-Pastor family was expected to enter the Chilean market with its hard discount model Mass, the same one that has been key in its expansion in Peru. Since then, few details had transcended, beyond the registration in Chile of multiple brands, such as Mass, Proxi, Economart and 40 others, through its subsidiary Food Retail Chile. However, new signs have recently emerged about the company's next steps. First location The first Mass pilot is already opened in the streets of Santiago. It is located in Eliodoro Yañez, Providencia, where an Erbi supermarket used to be. The Mass chain has become Intercorp's workhorse in Peru, with its hard discount model. Their motto is: I am a low-price store. How does it achieve this? "Always keeping processes simple and costs low, I manage to have the best prices every day and close to your home" Items from the Providencia store are on display on the shelves and many in the same factory cardboard boxes. There is still no presence of Peruvian own brands, but low-cost products from the Chilean market are offered, such as Grecco olive oil at $5,990 (250 ml) and Marvelkleen floor cleaner at $1,290 (liter). Everything indicates that they are not going to stay with this pilot or with the other 32 stores of Erbi (which on average have 233 m2). Expansion Advertisements have been placed looking for the rental of commercial premises to continue expanding. In addition to this, a new website with a Chilean domain of the Mass brand is active and looking for locations to open its stores. "If you have a place and you are looking to rent it, we want to meet you. Our tool allows you to send us the data quickly and easily, so that we can evaluate it quickly and efficiently," they say on their LinkedIn profile. And they add: "Help us paint Chile yellow!" It details the requirements for the premises: they must be more than 200 m², be located on the first floor of buildings or in projects under development, preferably on main avenues, residential neighborhoods, near universities, schools, bus stops, markets, minimarkets and areas of high pedestrian traffic. From Peru they see that the stores in Chile are better stocked, better operated than they were before. Despite being a small format, Mass is happy to be close to customers' homes and the idea is to keep that format in operation here. Aggressive growth Intercorp's expansion strategy has been through acquisitions and organic growth (opening new stores from scratch, as greenfields). In 2016, the firm relaunched its Mass brand, focused on the discount format, which it has strongly promoted in recent times. While in 2019 they had 400 stores, they closed in 2024 with 1,250 points of sale. In the last conference call, Intercorp's CFO, Marcelo Ramos, confirmed that they will continue with the goal of opening around 300 Mass stores per year. So far by 2025 they have already opened 96 new stores. In Chile, Ramos said: "We are preparing the company to open new stores in the second half of the year, perhaps some even earlier, but for now we are still at an early stage. "Asked about the expansion in Chile, Xbrein's CEO, Daniel Encina, who has advised Erbi and InRetail, was clear: "Everything indicates that it will be aggressive. Erbi has only 33 locations, and that number should at least increase fivefold in the short term. "On the other hand, a senior executive of the group confirmed that they do not rule out making new acquisitions in Chile, as well as in Ecuador where other companies of the group have recently opened such as Innova Schools and Promart. Although InRetail has different business units, such as pharma or shopping malls, it is in the food segment where they see the greatest opportunities for expansion, especially under the hard discount model. "Food is the business unit that continues to grow the fastest. It already represents 56% of Inretail's revenues. And it seems to me that Mass is already representing 18% of food retail revenues," said Kallpa SAB's head of research, Marco Contreras. A competitive marketIntercorp's arrival takes place in a complex context. According to Feller Rate, the Chilean supermarket sector is "highly competitive" and is dominated by four major players that concentrate more than 90% of the market: Walmart (Lider), Cencosud (Jumbo and Santa Isabel), SMU (Unimarc) and Falabella (Tottus). Daniel Encina says that, due to the strategic location of Erbi's stores, mainly in residential neighborhoods, Mass will compete directly with convenience stores such as Oxxo, Castaño, Pronto, Upa/Upita and AStop, which have more than 1,500 stores in Chile. It will also face small-format supermarkets such as Líder Express, Unimarc, Tottus and Santa Isabel. "In terms of supply, they have locations that are super transversal, that is, they are in ABC1 segments, but also in C2, C3 and D, so it has a location logic that is quite curious, because in the end they are very different demands and with offers that do not necessarily correspond," added Encina. However, not everyone in the market welcomed the purchase of Erbi, especially by the neighboring country. "Unlike Peru, in Chile the modern channel is much more developed and saturated. It is a more difficult market to grow and with less margin to stand out," said Ricardo Vásquez, research associate at Seminario SAB. What is certain is that according to experts, the evolution of the hard discount is closely linked to changes in consumer habits after the pandemic and the subsequent inflationary pressure, which – in the case of Peru – led consumers to prioritize proximity and convenience in their purchases, boosting discount stores. In Chile, this format still maintains a low market share compared to traditional supermarket chains, although groups such as SMU have discount stores such as Mayorista and Super 10 chains, with stores of around 1,200 square meters, simpler and with less spending on operations that allows them to offer more attractive prices. In view of some industry sources InRetail's inorganic growth could come from a bigger fish to complement them: SMU. Read more: Chile turns yellow, Peruvian group Intercorp gives the green light to its expansion plan in the country with the Mass brand – Supermercado Al Día #smartdiscount #mass #erbi #expansion #growth #peru #chile #marketdevelopment #inretail #mayorista #super10 #lider #cencosud #smu #falabella #unimarc #jumbo #tottus #santaisabel #oxxo #castano #pronto #upa #astop #sab #innovaschools #promart #intercorp #proximity #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google #rodriguez #pastor #economart #proxi