Consum has opened 38 new stores under its Charter banner to expand its network to 406 outlets in Valencia, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia, Murcia and Aragon.The new stores added over 10,710m² of floor space to the retailer's network, taking its total sales area to more than 120,400m². The expansion comprised the opening of 16 stores in Catalonia and 14 in Valencia as well as six outlets in Castilla-La Mancha and two in the region of Murcia. Consum saw sales exceeding €554m in 2022, €72.7m more than expected.
In 2023, the retailer plans to open at least 35 new Charter stores in Comunitat Valenciana (13), Catalonia (12), Castilla-La Mancha (6), Murcia (1) and Andalusia (3). The retailer expects sales in the Charter chain to increase by 9% year-on-year, to €603.9m. In 2022, more than 60% of the new franchisees with Charter were people who already had a store and have decided to invest in a new franchise. Consum believes this is an indication that Charter is consolidating its position as an alternative for self-employment for franchisees. With the opening of the new supermarkets, the number of workers hired by Consum franchisees has increased by 9.4% compared to 2021, to 2,967 workers, as of 31 January 2022, Consum noted.
