Via Retail stores expands premium seeking resumption of results

SÃO PAULO-Via Retail is betting on the expansion of a project of opening of shops geared to high-income consumers, seeking to capture a slice of the market that are migrating to electronic commerce and dribble the environment of economic crisis that affects more strongly sales of durable consumer goods.
The company, the largest retail chain of home appliances and furniture in the country, expanded from 36 to 51 the number of stores "premium" opened in the country between March and July, with potential to double that number in the coming months and rivaling networks that already operate in the segment, as the Fast Shop.
The expansion of the open spots occurred after the company recorded increases in same stores sales indicator of the premium category of almost 32% in the second quarter, said Thiago Pasqua, Director of operations of the stores of the segment.
"Our business is very commoditized, price who gives is the client and he knows the price on the Internet. What we did was more a homework assignment about the places where we were, but without proper care structure, "said the Executive. He cited as differentiators of the premium stores spaces where the customer can interact with products in rooms decorated and medium higher value products such as notebooks geared to players of video games.
Avoiding quote precise figures, Pasqua said that the average ticket premium network shops is about 40% higher than in common stores Via retail, which has a base of about 970 points of sales in all Brazil.
Via retail, which was put up for sale by the controller GPA, comes from 2016 through a restructuring process, integrating distribution centers with your e-commerce operation.
In the first quarter, the network had a 2,5% growth in same store sales after a fall of almost 12% in the same period last year. In the second quarter, the same store sales rose 10,8% before 2,6% high in comparison to the months of April to June 2016.
According to Pasqua, investment in premium shops is not significantly greater than other traditional points of the network. Some of the premium stores, including, were traditional points with weaker sales performance.
"There were stores that had worse results than others, but they were positioned to play a different game. We are adjusting to the correct public stores, "said the Executive.
"There''s room to expand (premium model). We still have a few shops to embed and has a lot of shopping center where we are not yet in place and where we could be, "he added, estimating that the Brazil could Harbor 100 shops of Via premim Retail segment. As comparison, the Fast Shop, got about 90 stores in the country.
Of the 51 stores of Retail in the premium segment, Route 38 are Pontofrio flag and the rest of the Casas Bahia. The Southeast region has a total of 32 points in the thread; followed by the South with eight units, seven Northeast and Midwest with four. According to Pasqua, the network intends to expand the segment in all regions in which the flags already Act.