Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

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johnr
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby johnr » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:27 pm

Speaking of the El Ingenio store - it's a shame for three reasons. Firstly, they are a co-op. Secondly, there is a Carrefour '10 minutes' away (their claim - doable if you speed!) so it just means less choice. But thirdly, and most importantly, my favourite breakfast cereal is an Eroksi own-brand :(

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby markwilding » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:57 pm

Overall, I prefer Carrefour while my wife prefers going to Eroski.
Mercadona finally arrived in these parts just before Christmas. We tend to go there to buy Shower gels and the like.

There is one of those urban myths that some Spanish shoppers won't shop in Eroski due to the fact they are Basque
The setup of the company is quite unusual and forms part of a co-op and an Engineering university.

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby Miro » Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:02 pm

Flexo wrote:Spain is about 30-40 years behind central and northern Europe when it comes to supermarket and every day consumption wares. The spaniards tend to buy their meat, fish, fruit and vegetables at delis, not supermarkets.
Yes, I'd disagree with the idea that shopping at smaller independents suggests a certain backwardness. Around here in recent years (since "la crisis" began, it seems), a proliferation of small privately owned fruiterias, delis & butchers have opened, offering better quality, value and choice than the supermarkets. In my opinion, it's a welcome reversal of the trends both here & elsewhere. In the UK now it seems impossible to shop without a car - just like the States :thumbdown:
Flexo wrote:They also have this weird affiliation to the chinese bazaars where they buy stuff often cheaper than you get at places like Carrefour and Eroski. Most of these business models are going to be outdated sooner or later.

Why is it weird to want to buy stuff a the best price available? This market sector is now dominated by the Chinese for fairly obvious reasons, but the 100 peseta shop is hardly a new concept to Spaniards.
Last edited by Miro on Thu Mar 03, 2016 10:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby katy » Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:40 pm

We do need a car living in a small village although we have a good butcher/farm shop. Lots of specialist shops selling good quality stuff all around Surrey/ Sussex. Next village two brothers have opened an ice cream factory. Suppose it depends which part of the U.K. You came from :?

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby markwilding » Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:27 am

It does seem that some people are going back to the smaller butchers and green grocers in The UK.
Fish mongers are starting to reappear again.

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby katy » Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:05 pm

Mark I think the return to smaller butchers grew as a result of the horse meat scandal. What defeats the smaller shops is expensive rents. One very small shop in a village nearby is for sale or rent. £500,000 or rent at £25,000 pa. :shock: Lot of stuff to sell before getting in profit. Same is happening in Malaga where a few landmark bars/restaurants, some in the same family for generations have had to close due to high rentals.

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby Devils Advocate » Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:18 pm

Around here the farms are just converting a barn or erecting a modular shop to sell their wares.

I think many have now seen the light and realise they don't have to blow their product out to the supermarkets for a pittance.

The quality of the meat rises too as the rush to provide ASAP is over, none of this bright red beef/pale insipid pork and chicken etc. you see in the supers, the beef is all hung for weeks and is just right. A small premium to pay for sure but quality beats penny pinching every time in my book.
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby katy » Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:33 pm

Yes our local farm shop has done that. Sells fish too. Everyday they put out a board with latest produce on. This morning it was Selsey crab at the top. No freezers :D lots of local cheeses too. One thing I can't stand, in both countries, is those vacuum packed fresh meat counters with blood spattered all over.

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby Devils Advocate » Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:37 pm

katy wrote:Yes our local farm shop has done that. Sells fish too. Everyday they put out a board with latest produce on. This morning it was Selsey crab at the top. No freezers :D lots of local cheeses too.
Yep, exactly the same. They do struggle with the fish though as it is so expensive people simply just don't buy it like they did 20/30 years ago..........hence not many fish shops re opening on the high streets.
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby Flexo » Fri Mar 04, 2016 11:49 am

Miro wrote:Yes, I'd disagree with the idea that shopping at smaller independents suggests a certain backwardness. Around here in recent years (since "la crisis" began, it seems), a proliferation of small privately owned fruiterias, delis & butchers have opened, offering better quality, value and choice than the supermarkets. In my opinion, it's a welcome reversal of the trends both here & elsewhere. In the UK now it seems impossible to shop without a car - just like the States :thumbdown:
It isn't the independentness that makes it backward, but the business model itself. Having a small community with five stores selling very similar or identical products is not going to work eventually because of rationalization.
Why is it weird to want to buy stuff a the best price available? This market sector is now dominated by the Chinese for fairly obvious reasons, but the 100 peseta shop is hardly a new concept to Spaniards.
It is weird because you can often find a little too many of these stores than you have a market for and the quality is often worse than on Carrefour/ Eroski. Furthermore, it is not always you find exactly what you want either which makes the purchasing proceedure longer. You might have to scout three or four bazaars until you have the products you want, which is suitable if you have the time but not else.

I live in a town with about 20k inhabitants and there are at least 2 masquerade shops that I know of, probably more. How many furniture shops there are I have no idea of but you have to ask yourself at one point how many customers you can possibly have when there is a limit on the population in the area. People will probably not come from other cities to visit your furniture shop.

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby katy » Fri Mar 04, 2016 12:05 pm

I am always suspicious about eg. Chinese restaurants that hardly have any clients. Could be because it is the only way they can enter the country permanently by investing in a business. Nearest row of shops to us in Marbella had two Chinese restaurants out of a block of 8 shops. For years I never saw more than about 4 people in at one time, a lot of the time it was empty. Maybe a front for other activities :think:

I went in a pound shop recently whilst waiting for a friend. I kept getting the urge to ask if some things were really just a pound. :lol: I bought a pack of 50 summer flowering bulbs, a three pack of scissors, 2 pair of gardening gloves and a box of Cadburys chocolates, all for £4. I may call in again.

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby olive » Fri Mar 04, 2016 12:40 pm

Chinese "pound shops" here in Spain. I just do not get the business model. You hardly see people buying yet the square metreage is huge. Subsidised from China - probably. Front for other activities- wouldn't surprise me, are all their shipping containers inspected on arrival? Our local town had quite a few Moroccan "pound shops". one by one they are closing despite selling what looks to be the same stuff. How can I buy my dad the same item off Ebay and the one in the Uk cost £3 and postage was £2.50 and arrived that week and the same thing as a spare from China was £2 and free postage and arrived 5 weeks later as they said it would.

I stopped going to Eroski and Carrefour and the awful Alcampo ( it seemed dirty)- except for a few none food items like electricals. Mercadona is in my opinion a far better shop. Just not the vast range of products. Do you need that vast range? Have you got the stamina and time to trudge around a shop that big.

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby Miro » Fri Mar 04, 2016 4:16 pm

Flexo, I understand your point about business models and certainly I'm puzzled at the sheer number of hairdressers around here, but all I can say is that the plethora of fruit & veg shops, a couple of butchers and the odd deli are thriving, as well as creating employment.
As for the Chinese bazaars, yes, sometimes the quality leaves something to be desired (I'd avoid electrical items for example) but for mundane every day stuff like nylon tie wraps & stationery, you can't beat them. You can always find exactly what you want, because they sell absolutely everything - stuff that you'll not find in the big supermarkets. (Little pads to go on the bottom of your chair legs anybody?)
I agree, as with the restaurants that are mostly empty, it would seem that these establishments are part of something bigger :shh: , but ours is not to question why, merely to benefit from their wide range of products at dirt cheap prices. Long may it last! We also have the first Dealz (Poundland) to open in Spain here, and it's doing surprisingly well considering that everything goes for €1.50, when the Chinese sell the same for €1.00
As for furniture stores in small villages (or on industrial estates for that matter), people will travel to buy furniture because it's not an everyday (convenience) purchase. The retailers will set up where rents per square metre are lower, because that's virtually their only overhead to consider.
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby markwilding » Fri Mar 04, 2016 4:54 pm

olive wrote:Chinese "pound shops" here in Spain. I just do not get the business model. You hardly see people buying yet the square metreage is huge. Subsidised from China - probably.
My understanding is they are subsidised by local governments in Spain.
It seems that are excempt from certain taxes for a period of time.I've no idea of it's true or not.
Last edited by markwilding on Fri Mar 04, 2016 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby TorreDelAguila » Fri Mar 04, 2016 6:23 pm

I have heard that they were allowed to sidestep corporation tax (tax on profits) for a period of six years.
Not sure whether this deal is still running.
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby gus-lopez » Fri Mar 04, 2016 6:42 pm

markwilding wrote:
olive wrote:Chinese "pound shops" here in Spain. I just do not get the business model. You hardly see people buying yet the square metreage is huge. Subsidised from China - probably.
My understanding is they are subsididsed by local governments in Spain.
It seems that are excempt from certain taxes for a period of time.I've no idea of it's true or not.
Yes , 5 years +no business rates. Not that they are expensive here.It is the rent that is extortionate.
We have 3 or 4 large Chinese shops ( 5- 10,000m2) none sell the same items as the others.
Mercadona for us as the best supermarket. Best prices,staff conditions/pay are good, sell food / cater for the coeliacs & others, So if you want a w/mc,tv or electric drill go somewhere else. :lol:
Additionally they don't open on Sundays in December or for ? Mothers day ? :wtf: is that all about ?
& that coming from someone who can walk to an Eroski hiper market where it is guaranteed that you can fire a shotgun anywhere without hitting anyone. &, although there are 20+ checkouts, 10 of which have never been used in 7 years, you struggle to find the one that is open. :lol:

After Merky's I 'd use Aldis ( they will be opening one here shortly.7 day/week construction going on at mo ) or Lidls.
Eroskis have been trying to unload all & everything outside the Basque country since crisis started. Sold 200 to Dia up in Castilla-La Mancha last year for 161 million. Can't see it reducing the debt though as it is some 2,5 billon euros. :wtf:

Chinese restauarants here in Lorca. Think we have 5 or 6 which have all been open as long as I have lived here. All do good trade . The one I use mainly ,you'll struggle to get in for Spanish oap's for menu del día @7,95€. Far better meals than a Uk chinese.
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby Devils Advocate » Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:30 pm

Far better meals than a Uk chinese.
jajajajajaja :mrgreen: :lol:
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby TorreDelAguila » Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:15 am

For a huge Chinese clothing emporium, vast square meterage, take a look at Moda Zhen in the middle of the gyratory system in Torre del Mar. Wonder how the economics of that work...
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby gerryh » Sat Mar 05, 2016 4:39 pm

It's been shut and empty for several weeks.
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Re: Eroski sell hypermarkets to Carrefour

Postby olive » Sat Mar 05, 2016 5:07 pm

Probably still making shed loads of money though


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