Three supermarkets previously owned by the Algarve’s ever-struggling chain Alisuper have been taken over by Pingo Doce and are expected to open “in the first half of July”.
The supermarkets are located in Caliços (Albufeira), Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo, and are currently “closed for renovations”, a source from Pingo Doce told Diário Económico newspaper.
How much the supermarket chain will invest in these three outlets has not been revealed.
José Nogueira, the head of the Nogueira Group which owns Alisuper, has also confirmed the deal.
While he says that the remaining Alisuper outlets in the Algarve will stay open, his plans now are to expand to the north of Portugal and Lisbon, as he says the south is “very seasonal”.
Nogueira added that Alisuper’s financial situation is “improving” and denied claims that any of its 400 employees are facing overdue salaries.
Meantime, DE has also reported that only seven Alisuper supermarkets will be taken over by Os Mosqueteiros group, which owns Intermarché supermarkets, as opposed to the nine that were originally planned.
Portugal’s Competition Authority (AdC) rejected the group’s bid for the Rogil and Sagres supermarkets on the basis that it would give Intermarché a “competitive advantage”.
Administrator Carlos Almeida said the group will “respect the decision” and does not plan to launch an appeal.
In May, the group said it was investing €5 million to take over nine Alisuper supermarkets but it was not explained how much the value will decrease without the Rogil and Sagres outlets (see article Alisuper in new takeover by supermarket giants).
Os Mosqueteiros plans to open 63 new Intermarché supermarkets before 2020, totalling 295 stores, which would give Intermarché a 13.5% share of the market.
