Portuguese retailers plan to invest some €500 million over the next two years to open more than 100 new proximity stores across the country.
Companies such as Sonae, Auchan, Intermarché and Mercadona plan to expand their networks, both in the main markets, such as the districts of Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal, and in other areas across the country.
Speaking to daily Expresso, the director general of the Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies (APED), Gonçalo Lobo Xavier, said that Portugal lags behind other European countries regarding the density of stores per inhabitant.
