Lisbon, 2016-Sep-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — Ara’s arrival in the centre of the country – where it should end the year with approximately 40 stores – will begin with the opening of its first two stores, in Chía and Soacha, on September 10th.
Expansion into Bogotá and nine municipalities in Cundinamarca follows on from the positive reception Ara stores have earned in Colombia’s Coffee Region and on the Caribbean coast, where it already has 171 stores and more than two thousand employees.
In Bogotá, as in the two regions where the company already operates, Ara stores will offer a wide product range adapted to the needs of local consumers, who, alongside their familiar brands, will also find a variety of Ara Private Brand products.
Ara’s Private Brand range, produced by Colombian suppliers (94%), already accounts for more than a third of total sales and has been a source of differentiation for Ara in the Colombian market. With a dynamic programme of launches and in a country where Private Brand penetration is still low,54 new products were included in the permanent range in the first six months of this year alone.
Strong and highly attractive weekly promotions combined with a good quality/price relationship are, along with the quality of fresh produce and Private Brand products, factors much appreciated by Ara’s customers.
Under its partnership with the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar), Ara plans to expand its support for the “Community Mothers” (“Madres Comunitarias”) project into this third region of operations. In the coffee-producing and Caribbean coast regions more than four thousand children are currently supported with food baskets containing dairy products, fruit and proteins.
With the start of operations in Bogotá and Cundinamarca, a major centre of development that is home to more than 10 million consumers, the Ara store chain will employ a total of approximately 2,500 people, thus continuing to contribute to employment growth and socioeconomic development in Colombia.
About Ara
Ara is a brand inspired by the joy of the Colombian people and the colours and rich biodiversity of the country that offers “Happiness at the Best Price. With a value proposal based on low prices, quality Private Brand products, strong promotions and a major neighbourhood presence, the chain began trading in March 2013 with the opening of its first distribution centre and store number 1, in the city of Pereira in Colombia’s coffee-producing region.
Source: Jeronimo Martins