Nota de prensa

It will open 60 new RAPID stores in the next four years

EROSKI PRESENTS ITS NEW “RAPID” BANNER FOR CONVENIENCE STORES  EROSKI enlarges its range of formats with new convenience stores which have joined its hypermarket, and self- service network  RAPID convenience stores offer a greater range by square metre to meet up to 800 different consumer needs with long opening hours (8 a.m. to 11 p.m.) every day of the week  Their range of products includes fresh produce, leading manufacturer brands as well as EROSKI’s own brand  RAPID presents today its first franchise in Majorca, which has joined the six which were opened as pilot stores and are already operating in Barcelona  Their expansion plan with franchised local entrepreneurs will focus on urban and tourist areas, mainly in Madrid, Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Levante and Barcelona.

Majorca, 18 May 2017.- EROSKI has presented today its new RAPID banner for convenience stores, its last innovation in retail formats. A highly competitive retail model with small stores of around 150m2 in very urban areas and tourist areas with high population density. The new RAPID stores are noted for providing the greatest commercial offering per square metre, in response to 800 different consumer needs, with a range which reaches 3,600 products at very reasonable prices.

The complete range of the RAPID stores includes fresh produce, bulk fruit and vegetables as well as packaged meat and fish and has an oven to provide freshly baked bread. Their range of food, drinks, household cleaning products and toiletries includes leading manufacturer brands as well as EROSKI’s own brand.

“Meeting new consumer needs in the current social and economic context was the point of departure for this new project. RAPID aims at becoming the small store preferred by consumers for frequent purchases of food to be prepared on the same day or eaten immediately at very competitive prices” the store format manager of EROSKI, Esther Saez de Vicuña, stated.

The design of the store stands out for how fast one can do the shopping, usually on the way home or on the way to work in urban areas, or at any time of the day in

EROSKI

Corporate Communication Manager Phone: 946 211 214 [email protected] XURDANA FERNÁNDEZ

EROSKI – PRESS OFFICE NORTHERN CONSULTANTS Phone: 944 158 642 Sala de prensa online JOANA G. LANDAZABAL EDURNE IZQUIERDO

tourist areas. A design which responds to the “lack of time” of a public which needs to do convenience shopping, often to respond to unexpected needs. Moreover, the store includes technological innovations to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact, such as new and efficient refrigeration and air-conditioning systems and equipment.

The new RAPID convenience stores will preferably be located in streets with a high level of pedestrian traffic, residential neighbourhoods and urban areas with high population density, as well as business areas with a large number of workers.

Furthermore, the new RAPID convenience stores will also expand in coastal areas with a high volume of tourists. This is the case of the store which is being presented today at number 4 of Playa Street in the Majorcan town of Paguera (Calviá). It is the first RAPID convenience store in the Balearic Islands and has a 152 m2 sales floor. It required an investment of 100,000 Euros and has created four jobs.

This first store in the Balearic Islands has joined the six stores in Barcelona which were opened during the design and pilot phase which lasted around two years.

New franchise for small entrepreneurs EROSKI is considering expanding its new RAPID banner for convenience stores through franchises with small local entrepreneurs. The expansion starts at the same time in the regions of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands and will increasingly move on to other metropolitan and tourist coastal areas.

The RAPID franchise is based on a close and frequent relationship with the customer, where retailers are the direct managers of their own business and have the support of highly experienced EROSKI professionals and a reliable brand.

“The results of the first RAPID stores have surpassed the expectations of the viability plan, both for the franchisees and for us. At EROSKI we understand franchises as a long term agreement with local entrepreneurs and we provide complete guidance from the analysis and viability plan to monitoring the performance of the stores in operation so as to support franchisees in the management of their business and the continuous adaptation of their offer to the needs of their customers”, EROSKI‘s Franchise Director, Enrique Martínez, said. He concluded that “professional guidance and closeness, together with business profitability, are the most outstanding aspects of the first RAPID franchises”.

EROSKI

Corporate Communication Manager Phone: 946 211 214 [email protected] XURDANA FERNÁNDEZ

EROSKI – PRESS OFFICE NORTHERN CONSULTANTS Phone: 944 158 642 Sala de prensa online JOANA G. LANDAZABAL EDURNE IZQUIERDO

EROSKI is at present the second network of franchised in , with around 500 franchised stores. In the next 4 years they expect to open 60 new RAPID convenience stores mainly in Madrid, Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Levante and Barcelona, which will join the intense franchised supermarket opening plan which they have speeded up in recent years. EROSKI has also entered into agreements with various banks to support their current and future franchisees with advantageous financing conditions to open new stores and respond to the needs derived from their ordinary activity.

About EROSKI

EROSKI is the first distribution group of the type in Spain and a leading operator in the regions of Galicia, Basque Country, Navarre, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. It has a network of 1,877 shops, including supermarkets, hypermarkets and cash & carry, as well as petrol stations, optical shops, travel agencies, perfume shops and sport shops. It has more than 7 million Member- Customers and 33,870 cooperative members and workers.

EROSKI

Corporate Communication Manager Phone: 946 211 214 [email protected] XURDANA FERNÁNDEZ

EROSKI – PRESS OFFICE NORTHERN CONSULTANTS Phone: 944 158 642 Sala de prensa online JOANA G. LANDAZABAL EDURNE IZQUIERDO