Atacarejo is already vice in retail food sales

The atacarejo assumed the position of second most important store format for the food retail, according to the survey, Ranking 45th held by SM – the complete study will be published in the April issue of print magazine, which starts to circulate from the 20 day of next month. The cash billing & carry reached R$ 69.4 billion last year, compared with 69.1 billion R$ of hyper. The leadership continues with the supermarkets. The specimen was also the only one to present growth in 2015: high of 16.2%, discounted the inflation average for the period, which was 9.01% by the IPCA. Among the reasons that led to the advancement, is the growth in the number of people who came to attend the cash & carry due to the economic scenario. Kantar Worldpanel: consumer research indicates that last year took place in the shopping channel 20,239 homes, against a high of 2014 – 16,364 of 24%. Another consequence of the crisis is that, with more unemployment, many people become small entrepreneurs end up fueling in the format. "We''re talking about those people who sell hot dogs or make food at home to give away, for example. This quota should raise more this year in light of the economic difficulties of the country, "explains Alexandre Ayres, Director of Neocom consulting Information. To Silvia Sonneveld, partner of BCG (Boston Consulting Group), the success of atacarejo also is justified by the fact that people see quality in your proposal (and low cost) and indicating those stores to friends and relatives. "Who frequents the cash carry him well you''re talking about &. This word-of-mouth, normal about new formats, encourages the entry of new customers ", explains the Executive. These factors, together with the growth of recent years, have encouraged companies to invest in the expansion of atacarejo. The number of stores jumped from 436 to 502 between 2014 and 2015. The increase is explained by conversions and inaugurations. The Giga network Attacked, for example, launched a drive last year (there are three) and grew 14.6% in real terms. For André Nassar, Director of the Group''s businesses MGB, which controls the flag, the format will not replace the hypermarkets, but contribute to its weakening, as it sells commodities cheaper. "Consumers have learned that cash & carry is about 15% cheaper than the hyper and 25% more competitive than the supermarket," he says. The businessman also remember that people behave differently in atacarejo stores. "The end customer mind much less disruption in that format. Also accepts best simple installations, queues at boxes and even a reform with the store running, because the cost-benefit balance is the reason he''s there, "he says. Nassar recalls that consumers are more willing to try cheaper brands of commodities in cash & carry. "However, the presence of the leading brands is crucial. After all, are the ones that sell within the category ", points out the Director of the company''s business. But there are cases in which the customer is more demanding with regard to the marks of the assortment. This happens mainly in detergent, beer, soda, coffee and chocolate, among others. Already the Imec (RS) network closed last year with 21 stores. Of this total, three are cash & carry (Desco), whose high was 38.2% real in 2015. That year, a supermarket in the city of Bento Gonçalves was transformed into atacarejo. "We made the change because this unit could generate scale required in the previous format. With that, there''s a lot of pressure on the costs, "explains Leonardo Taufner, Chief Executive Officer. The conversion also proved feasible, because there was no direct competitors to serve small retail shops and gastronomy segment (restaurants, bars, hotels), strong in the municipality. "In addition, the cash & carry does not depend on the primary area, like a supermarket. It is possible, through telemarketing and other tools, attract clients from more distant districts of the store and other cities ", says the Executive. Already in the first three months after the conversion, performed in April, affiliate sales doubled compared to the same period in 2014. Who also stood out by the growth in the format in 2015 was the Network Mix, in Bahia. With 10 units in total, operates three of atacarejo which together grew 103.9% real last year. John Claudio Nunes, commercial Director, in 2015, the company included the annualised sales of a store opened in October of the previous year, in the metropolitan region of Salvador. This year, the network will start by the end of the first half, building a new cash & carry. It must be opened in 2017 in the neighborhood in the capital Bahia Itapua. Nunes explains that the Network Mix opted for smaller stores than usual in the format. They vary on average 1,200 m2 to 1,500 m2 of sales area and aim to answer primarily consumers of classes c/d/E. "our stores are also in places closer to the consumers, unlike most cash & carry," he adds. "We usually play internally that we operate a cash of neighborhood", concludes the commercial Director.