Discount Retail Chain Biedronka opened its first store in Miloslavov, near the capital, Bratislava, but plans to expand "soon" to four other cities in that country. Slovakia will be the third country where its mother Jerónimo Martins will operate a discount format, after Poland and Colombia.
Jerónimo Martins emphasises that Biedronka's entry into Slovakia is "the first step in internationalisation taken by a food retail brand of the group" and "represents a historic milestone as it is the arrival of a new player in the Slovak market in the last 20 years".
This Wednesday, Biedronka inaugurated the first supermarket and a distribution center, but it has more openings in the pipeline. "Biedronka will soon open stores in other Slovak cities, namely in Zvolen, Považská Bystrica, Nové Zámky and Senica, in a strategy that aims to gradually expand the brand to other regions of Slovakia," Pedro Soares dos Santos said.
Jerónimo Martins wants to open "at least" 50 Biedronka in Slovakia by the end of 2026
At the start of the operation in Slovakia, between stores, distribution centre and headquarters, Biedronka employs a universe of approximately 300 workers.
"Today is a happy day for the Jerónimo Martins group because we are arriving in a new country for us, with our Biedronka discount brand, in the year of its 30th anniversary. We believe that we can make a positive difference in Slovakia and we will be committed to working closely with Slovak suppliers to build the best possible offer, at the lowest prices, for Slovak consumers and families," says the chairman of the board of directors and managing director, Pedro Soares dos Santos, quoted in the same note.
Biedronka's first store in Slovakia offers an assortment of 3,400 products. With a sales area of 876 square meters, it has six "self-checkout" boxes and three traditional cashiers, as well as a machine for the deposit and return system of packaging."Our priority is to offer Slovak customers fresh, high-quality food at the lowest prices. Since the beginning of this project, we have also focused on partnering with Slovak suppliers, with whom we have developed several own brands, in which freshness, quality and sustainability stand out," says Maciej Lukowski, CEO of Biedronka Slovakia.
In Poland, it owns Biedronka, described as the country's largest supermarket chain, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, and the market leader, with 3,720 stores and more than 81,000 employees, making it the largest employer in Poland and the country's second-largest company in terms of revenue. In Poland, Jerónimo Martins also owns the Hebe chain of beauty stores, which is also in Czechia and Slovakia.
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