In 1792, Jerónimo Martins went to Lisbon in search of a better life and opened his small shop in the Chiado district. He never imagined that his name would function for over 200 years as the corporate brand of an ever-expanding group of companies. The original small store sold a little bit of everything: sausages, sacks of wheat and corn, bundles of tallow candles, jugs of wine, brooms, etc.
See also: Millions of Poles pass through these doors every day. What is the Biedronka phenomenon?
After the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the owner of a shop in Lisbon was granted the honor of supplying the royal court by King Ferdinand II of Portugal. Thanks to such influence, the founder's son continued the store's operations and expanded the assortment, including: about luxury goods.
The text continues below the video
In the following years, the store and the company were taken over by the heirs of Jerónimo Martins, and the breakthrough in the business was olive oil. Over time, the store gained prestige, and in 1851 the famous Alexandre Herculano olive oil appeared there.
Who is the owner of Biedronka – the Jerónimo Martins Group and its activities
Wars and economic crises affected Jerónimo Martins, and the company almost went bankrupt. Rescue came in the form of Francisco Manuel dos Santos (grandfather of Alexandre Soares dos Santos, who managed the Polish Biedronki for decades) and Elysio Pereira do Vale, who already owned another company – Grandes Armazéns Reunidos.
One of the Jeronimo Martins stores in Portugal
|
Jeronimo Martins / Jeronimo Martins
In 1921, they came to Lisbon to open Estabelecimento Jerónimo Martins & Filho, offering a wide selection of products: real Gruyère, London and Parmesan cheese, small barrels of the highest quality olives from Marseille. It was a difficult period: Francisco Manuel dos Santos took out a loan of five thousand escudos, offering “his work and honesty” as security.
See also: Biedronka is growing like a weed. That's how many stores it currently has
In the 1930s and 1940s, the production of margarine and cooperation with Unilever, whose products had been sold since 1926, turned out to be crucial.
The 1980s and 1990s were groundbreaking – the Pingo Doce supermarket chain was established and the company entered the wholesale and retail markets. The company purchased a majority stake in Recheio wholesalers and also decided to purchase the Brazilian chain of Pao de Açúcar supermarkets. Interestingly, this Brazilian investment turned out to be one of the few business failures of the Portuguese company.
The first Biedronka chain store in Poznań
|
Biedronka / Ladybug
In 1995, Jerónimo Martins began operations in Poland, launching Biedronka and taking over Eurocash. At a time when bazaars and small shops dominated, the discount store format was new.
The group's Polish investment turned out to be a huge success. To such an extent that our country is responsible for over 70 percent. all consolidated sales. After over 230 years of existence, the Jeronimo Martins Group operates in six countries: Poland, Portugal, Colombia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Morocco.
The total network includes over 6,000 stores, and in addition to food distribution, which is its core business, the company is also engaged in specialized retail sales and agri-food production.
