By Sophie McCarrick
Thirteen additional members of staff have had to be recruited by supermarket Iceland for its newly-opened Algarve store following what manager Sam Gabriel described as “the most successful overseas opening so far”.
“We can’t believe the response that we have had,” he told the Algarve Resident.
Since the opening of the supermarket in the Guia Retail Park on November 9, the store has had twice as much custom as was anticipated, with 12,000 transactions up to the beginning of this week.
This has led to the recruitment of 13 new members of staff and more are expected to follow due to plans for a night shift.
With deliveries arriving three times a week, Sam Gabriel said that “we are only just getting back on track with stock. We just did not expect it to be going so quickly. I must say though that it is hard to keep up with certain things as they are so popular.”
Speaking about the festive season, Sam Gabriel said: “Christmas stock is flying off the shelves. We have to pre-order everything months in advance, so I am actually trying to get hold of more stock at the moment.” Some 10% of the supermarket’s takings so far have been from Christmas products.
Due to the success of the store, discussions have already been taking place regarding other outlets in the Algarve.
“I can’t confirm locations as we do not yet know ourselves where we want to put them,” said Sam Gabriel.
“I would like to thank all customers for their support so far. Everyone has been so positive and appreciative of Iceland being here, and it really brings a great atmosphere into the store.”
For more information about the Iceland store, please visit www.overseas.es
Happy winners
The Resident Group was delighted to present the winners of its two Iceland prize draws with their vouchers to spend at the recently opened supermarket.
Algarve Resident/Iceland competition winners:
John and Susan Gilbert from Tavira won a €200 voucher
Shirley Lemon from Lagoa won a €100 voucher
John Martin Hepton from Carvoeiro won a €100 voucher
The Resident Group/Iceland prize draw winners from BLiP:
Alan and Jill Jarvis from Lagoa won a €100 voucher
Peter and Lisa Statham, pictured with their son Alexander, won a €100 voucher
Graham and Doreen Roderick from Lagos won a €100 voucher
Susan Santos from Vilamoura won a €100 voucher
