Portuguese retail group Jeronimo Martins has reported in its preliminary report that consolidated net sales climbed 13.2 per cent on a year-on-year basis through 2011, up €1.1bn to €9.8bn.
Polish operation Biedronka led the way with sales growth of 20.4 per cent to €5.8bn, with turnover in Poland now representing 59 per cent of Jeronimo's consolidated sales.
In the final quarter of 2011, Biedronka tested a new store layout, with a larger area dedicated to fresh produce, which obtained positive results and will now be rolled out across all of the chain's stores in 2012.
Despite an environment of increasingly weaker purchasing power among consumers, Portuguese banners Pingo Doce (sales up 4.2 per cent to €2.9bn) and Recheio (sales up 4.9 per cent to €756m) both enjoyed yearly improvements.
