The president of Jerónimo Martins, in an interview with Lusa, thinks that in 10 years distribution in Portugal will be “fully focused on restaurants” and that the group will grow in agrifood, a “new business segment”.
Asked how he sees the delivery industry in 10 years, Pedro Soares dos Santos says that for Portugal, it will be “focused on complete restaurants”, that is, “more focused on providing ready-to-eat solutions for people”. Eat” .
And, of course, there will be a section of “more stuff” for sale to “those who enjoy cooking,” he adds.
“But most of your business and your margin will be generated in the restaurants”, highlights the manager, noting that Geronimo Martins “always adapts to the needs of each country depending on what the country needs”.
“I did not see [essa tendência] In Colombia, but I see it in Portugal”, continues Pedro Soares dos Santos, who says that the group is “growing a lot” in agri-food and sees “turning it into a new business unit and, perhaps, in some food industry”. .
Geronimo Martins is in Portugal, Poland and Colombia and hopes to enter Slovakia in November.
Portugal, on the other hand, says it continues to be a race for the company. “This is our 'motherland' and no one forgets the 'motherland'”, insists Pedro Soares dos Santos.
Regarding the possibility of Colombia, the market it entered in March 2013, becoming the group's operational center for Latin America, Pedro Soares dos Santos argues that the objective at this time is to improve business in that market.
“Don't forget that there are 50 million people, so first we have to make Colombia a very strong business, not like Poland, but with strength, and then, by making money, we will think about the rest.”, he explains.
All this “takes forever”, he continues, concluding: “When the step is bigger than our feet we fall. That doesn't happen here.”
In the meantime, he says, the company will “experiment in Slovakia,” and this is the first time Biedronka will expand as a brand. Therefore, he insists that it is necessary to “learn lessons”, check the impact this expansion will have on the business in Poland, and after that, he admits, the company can “think about other ambitions”.
The group expressed interest in entering Romania, but Slovakia is currently the priority.
“First, let's confirm what we are going to do in Slovakia,” says Pedro Soares dos Santos.
The manager highlighted that the group was “lucky that Poland went so well” and that they had become “a big and good company”.
“If we had stayed in Portugal, we wouldn't be where we are today, and we wouldn't speak the same way”, he highlights.
As for Portugal, Jerónimo Martínez's president argues that the country “should look at the maritime economy and be a leader in this regard.” Especially since Portuguese waters border the United States.
“We have more sea than Spain and France,” he asks, so why shouldn't we look to the “economy of the sea” for the future? Indeed, everyone is “disputing the ocean” as a better future investment, he adds, challenging the country to become “leaders in this.”
“Let's see this as a pillar of the future of our development, because we are in the middle, between the East and America, we can do a lot for the marine economy, and in this regard we will become a unique country” , he emphasizes, giving an example of what Geronimo Martins did.
“10 years ago” the team realized that “marine fish were a problem” so “we're going to start aquaculture, that's where the “future is”.
And the race “is going well,” he says, in deep-sea aquaculture.
“Fish farming has always been done in bays on land, so let's look at aquaculture in the high seas and how to grow fish that people see regularly,” he says, “good from the sea.”
It's “a science that involves the whole community around this, from universities, from research, we've done a lot, we've invested a lot,” he added, criticizing the government's lack of attention to the issue. There should have been more aggressive policies”, he asserts.
These policies are not about money, he said, but “for those who want to invest through licenses, through training, who want to invest in universities, research and better preparation, but that doesn't do anything.” moaning..
Geronimo Martins owns fisheries in Madeira, Algarve and Morocco to produce sea bass, sea bream, groupers, etc.
As for Aviro's salmon pilot project, which failed, the group now owns a stake in a Norwegian company that produces 100% sustainable salmon.