At the Jerónimo Martins Group, we select local suppliers whenever we can to boost the social and economic sustainability of the communities where we do business and minimise the carbon footprint of our products.
That’s why we only import products in the following situations:
In all the countries where we do business, we carry out initiatives to encourage consumers to favour products of local origin.
In Portugal, our Private Brand products and Perishables are identified with stickers reading “O Melhor de Portugal Está Aqui” (“The Best of Portugal is Here), “Produzido em Portugal” (“Made in Portugal”) and “Fruta 100% Portuguesa” (“100% Portuguese Fruit”).
In Poland, products are identified with a sticker reading “Polski Produkt” (“Polish Product”) or a “#jedzcopolskie” (“Eat what is Polish”) sticker.
In Colombia, the products have stickers saying “Hecho en Colombia” (“Made in Colombia”) and “Una marca de Ara” (“An Ara Brand”).
These initiatives give consumers access to a varied assortment, while at the same time boosting partnerships with our suppliers and stimulating the development of their skills.
We sell varieties that are underdeveloped in Portugal, giving customers access to a varied assortment of vegetables while stimulating the development of new skills among producers. Products included in this project are round, striped and yellow courgettes; striped aubergines; sweet cucumber, and bimi, a variety of broccoli.
Biedronka was the first to offer the Malinowe tomato (raspberry tomato) in its stores year-round, thanks to cooperation with its suppliers.
Instilled with this innovative spirit, in 2015, we stocked Biedronka stores with Antonówka apples and Klapsa pears, as well as Irga and Bryza potatoes. We rolled-out the “Kuchnia Passionata” (“Passion for Cooking”) range, a special range of vegetable products to promote the use of traditional Polish varieties in the preparation of meals.
Through Biedronka, we created a network of strawberry suppliers in 2014 to reduce the time between harvest and product availability in stores. In the first year, we sold 74 tonnes between July and September and, in 2017, the amount increased to 1,000 tonnes, thanks to a network of over 100 suppliers located in the regions close to the Distribution Centres.
We believe that working in a partnership and raising awareness about sustainability can turn challenges into opportunities.
We provide technical support to Portuguese producers of lamb, veal, pork, chicken and turkey, promoting the use of cereal-based feed and advising them on more efficient management and distribution methods.
We maintain direct relations with a cooperative of fishermen in the area of Sesimbra, thereby upholding quality and price competitiveness and traditional fishing methods, making the sustained regeneration of the species possible.
Through Pingo Doce, we continued the extraordinary measure to support Portuguese producers, under a protocol established with CAP (Confederation of Portuguese Farmers), by shortening the payment time to an average of 10 days. Since its establishment in 2012, nearly 500 fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cold meat and wine producers have benefited from this initiative.
Pingo Doce has established a partnership with a local supplier to provide stores with “Maçã das Beiras” (apples). As a result, we sold over 1,000 tonnes of these Portuguese apples in 2017.
In 2017, we increased the number of organic products at Biedronka from 9 to 22, in Private Brand Perishables.
These products are now part of our permanent Fruit and Vegetable offer – such as apples, onions or tubers – and seasonal products, which include citrus fruits, tomato and pumpkin. The 1,700 tonnes sold in 2017 correspond to a year-on-year increase of 150% which, together with our suppliers, contributed to the increase in the offer of this type of product in Poland.
The Bakery developed a traditional type of bread baked in a wood oven, in partnership with a Polish Bakery – Nowakowski Piekarnie – founded in 1925. Made using a traditional recipe, the bread is kneaded by hand and baked in an oven using certified beech. Over 2.3 million loaves of bread were sold in 2017.
A partnership was established for the Butcher’s with Polish beef producers, the life cycle of which is monitored together with Biedronka using a field to fork approach. The Beef Festival, which began in April, takes place in the second week of each month in approximately 100 stores. In its first year, we sold over 30 tonnes of beef.
In Colombia, we have been working through Ara to establish stable relationships and partnerships with Colombian suppliers. In 2017, we worked with with 95 local partners who supplied more than 580 Private Brand products.
Since starting operations in 2013, Ara has been holding the Ara Private Brand Conference, which is attended by current and potential local suppliers.