AB Vassilopoulos: New distribution centers for e-commerce in Athens – Thessaloniki

By George Lampiris

AB Vassilopoulos expanded its online channel in Greece during the third quarter of 2021, according to a relevant report on the financial results of the parent company Ahold Delhaize for the third quarter of the year that saw the light of day today.

According to the report we have at our disposal, e-commerce is a sales channel, in which the chain in Greece has been investing significantly lately as its plan is to create 2 to 3 fulfillment centers (sorting centers for e- commerce), which will be similar to the Home Shop Center, which he created in 2020 in the area of ​​Renti, having invested an amount of 10 million euros.

The new sorting centers are planned to be created within the next two years in Athens and Thessaloniki, in order to support the ordering and distribution of products. Currently, the distribution takes place in Attica from the Home Shop Center of Rentis as well as from individual stores in the basin but also from smaller darkstores of AB Vassilopoulos. As far as the region is concerned, the distribution is implemented through the local stores of the chain.

The process of optimizing the e-shop is in progress

Also in the field of e-commerce, AB Vassilopoulos examines the optimization of the ordering system, in such a way that the consumer can see a product and the stock that is currently described in the e-shop is fully compatible with the stocks he maintains. the company in its warehouses. In this direction, several internal processes and changes are already made in the existing processes and even in the existing master data (data used during the distribution – sale of products). This is a rather complex process, which is implemented in combination with the systems sector of AB Vassilopoulos and the operating sector.

It should be noted that the turnover of the online store corresponds to about 2% of the total turnover of AB Vassilopoulos, a percentage that has stabilized at these levels recently, compared to 0.5% which was the corresponding percentage before the pandemic.

The factor of fires in Greece

Regarding the third quarter, Ahold Delhaize points out, among other things, that the fires in Greece caused additional difficulties in AB Vassilopoulos. According to information, in the first nine months of 2021 the chain in Greece is declining with a small single-digit percentage, compared to the corresponding period of 2020. In terms of the European market at large, Ahold Delhaize recorded sales growth of 1.1% , at 7.04 billion euros.

At the Ahold Delhaize group level, the third quarter of 2021 moved with a net sales increase of 4.6% at a fixed exchange rate, to 18.5 billion.

During the same period, the group’s net online sales increased by 29.2% at fixed exchange rates to 2.29 billion euros, due to the significant growth in bol.com, which continued its strong performance as well as due to its high performance. recorded by the rest of the internet companies of the group, including the acquisition of FreshDirect.