Alma goes for quality

Alma Market recorded a 26-percent increase in its Q3 sales year-on-year, which helped the company to increase net profit by 346 percent.

For the full year of 2005, the company has posted a net profit of zł.11.3 million, while this year the company predicts it will earn zł.13.5 million in net profit.

Alma also reported that it will invest zł.75 million in developing new supermarkets. Two of them, located in Piaseczno and Pruszków, will be opened at the beginning of December. Ten others will open in 2007. Another 10 are expected to open by the end of 2008.

The total retail space of all of Alma's supermarkets currently comes to 23,600 sqm. That will increase to 46,400 sqm in 2007. The company also announced that it is introducing own-brand products next year. The brand was described as one that will be very prestigious and not always the cheapest.

"We want to give to our customers the best quality products, so our products will be produced by the best local craftsman," said Ivo Makówka from Alma's marketing department. In terms of customer incentives, the company plans to introduce a customer loyalty program to go along with its Alma credit card.

Alma Development, the company which develops real-estate projects and manages property rented by Alma markets, plans to develop a recently purchased plot as well as Warsaw's Relax cinema. According to the investor, the old cinema will be rebuilt and transformed into a new supermarket and residential facility.