Via Retail focuses on management to lift RAND

São Paulo-Via retail, physical trade arm focused on electronics Bread Sugar Group (GPA), began to reap the initial results of their management strategies aimed at increasing the profit margin on sales during the crisis that affects trade in durable goods.
After promoting changes in the assortment of physical stores Casas Bahia and Ponto Frio, in addition to training the employees of the two flags to increase sales conversion rates, the company sees marketing in the same stores (open units for more than 12 months) rise by 1.8% during the third quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2015. "Contributed to this growth performance of category of technology, especially telephony and televisions, as well as washers, as well as the maintenance of an adequate and differentiated product mix in stores, offering sales tools needed to raise the conversion rate," said the GPA, in a statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) on last Tuesday (11).
Although the numbers show stability in the level of sales, to the experts Via Retail signs that even in durable goods, the crisis may be finally getting behind.
"It was clearly a management job. They [GPA] invested it and focused on stock products that actually have customer appeal, especially at this difficult time. Therefore, stability is even relevant, since the segment of durable goods has no registered recovery numbers yet, "opines the retail specialist and a founding partner of the consulting firm BA | Stockler, Angelina Stockler.
The results of Via Retail were above the observed by the market, since in July, according to the Monthly Trade Survey (PMC), the Brazilian Institute of geography and statistics (IBGE), mobile and consumer electronics sales were 6.8% lower than the same month last year, suggesting, according to the GPA, Via Retail obtained a market share gain in the period.
For Stockler, according to the current scenario, the sales of durable goods segment should start to rebound next year, "when macroeconomic conditions should be more clear," he says.
Food
Meanwhile, the retail arm of GPA-Multivarejo-follows giving signs that supermarket sector will be the first to emerge from the crisis.
In the third quarter of this year, sales '' same '' stores rose 18.6% compared to the period between July and September 2015, pulled mainly by the performance of the wholesale flag Assai.
The flag of "atacarejo" Advanced 45.7% over the period, jumping to 3.7 billion R$, which caused the Assai would represent 37% of all Multivarejo billing, compared to 29% in the third quarter of 2015. In all, the recipe of the GPA in the period totaled 15.7 billion R$, an advance of 4.4% compared with the same period last year.
"At this point, they hit the development of every different flag, Extra, Pão de Açúcar, Assai or proximity, next to the target audience of each of them," says Stockler, BA | Stockler.
According to the consultant, after the changes, it became clearer to the client what he can get in every one of the flags of the GPA. "It helps a lot in time of consumer choice," he recalls.
In his statement to the CVM, the Pão de Açúcar Group States that there were martket gain share of the Extra flag in the last five months evaluated from April. Right now, the focus of the company is still prioritize the stores that have achieved higher returns, as the models wholesaler and proximity.
Not for nothing, the GPA works to deliver soon other 15 shops developed on the formats listed, nine units Assaí, an Extra hyper and another five under the banner Minute Pão de Açúcar.
"The higher return formats follow the company''s priority both for expansion as for conversions between formats," warns.