Belgium group Delhaize's Greek operation Alfa-Beta Vassilopoulos (ABV) is looking to ride out the economic crisis this year and post stable earnings on a par with those hit in 2009.
That is the verdict of company chief executive officer and executive vice-president Konstantinos Macheras, who told Reuters that ABV will look to weather the adverse conditions with lower prices and cost-cutting measures.
ABV reported on a net profit of €32.6m in 2009, boosted by a 10.2 per cent rise in sales to €1.47bn, and Mr Macheras told the news agency that he remained cautiously optimistic about the next six months.
'There is a shift in the shopping basket, with people buying even the most basic goods more sparingly and in smaller quantities, and visiting supermarkets more often,' he said.
ABV is also looking to add a further 13-18 outlets to its current portfolio of 216 stores at a cost of around €60m.
'We won't stop our investment plan because of the crisis,' Mr Macheras added.
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