Basque retailer Eroski aims to refurbish 79 supermarkets and open four new ones in 2017 under a programme to create a chain of modern stores.
The retailer, part of Mondragon Co-operative, has spent the past four years investing €300m in the transformation of the sites. Its network currently includes 512 new-generation stores, with 26 hypermarkets and 486 supermarkets.
The modern stores aim to reduce their impact on the environment and reduce their energy consumer by 65%, compared to a conventional shop.
In 2016 Eroski opened and transformed a total of 173 stores, 9 hypermarkets and 164 supermarkets, which are now new generation shops.
“We have applied a radical change in the Eroski shops, looking to differentiate them from competitors, always offering the extra quality and service to our clients and improving competitiveness in terms of prices,” said Rosa Carabel, commercial network general director.
The retailer’s key objectives are to provide greater variety of choice for consumers, more personalised deals, a focus on fresh produce, and local product sourcing. They include a range of 21,000 local products while more than half of its suppliers and local producers.
The stores, which are branded as Contigo (With You), will also try to promote a gastronomic culture and healthier diets.
The new generation stores are mainly based in the north of the country, where the group has a 19% market share.
The new stores, along with the revamped ones, have created 1,155 new jobs. Staff working in the new format stores have also received a total of 150,000 hours of training to learn how to provide better services for clients and advance in terms self-management tools.
“We provide strong support to train our teams to provide an absolutely different customer service,” added Ms Carabel.
Online retail is another important are of development for Eroski, which in recent years has invested in 28 online shopping collection points in busy urban areas, which mean customers can collect their shopping without leaving their car.
Eroski consumers can also shop online via a mobile app and choose home delivery, a service available across the main Spanish cities.
