Eroski is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more lim ...

chain with nearly 1,000 outlets spread across Spain (excluding franchises). It is run as a worker-consumer hybrid

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

within the Mondragón Corporation group. The establishments vary in size from the largest

hypermarkets A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including ...

, simply named 'Eroski' (of which there are 75 stores, including 40 with

petrol station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoli ...

s), down to smaller 'Eroski Center' stores (473, including 2 petrol stations). There are also 219 'Eroski City' outlets and 234 'Eroski Viajes'

travel agent A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destinati ...

centres. The group's total sales floor space is approximately . The name Eroski is a combination of the Basque words "erosi" (to buy) and "toki" (place).

History

The company was founded in 1969 in the regions of

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. ...

and

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French de ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

as a

between ten supermarkets in the region. Its headquarters are located in

Elorrio Elorrio is a town and a municipality located in the eastern part of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, in northern Spain. , it has a population of 7,307 inhabitants. It covers an area of 37.20 square kilometers and it has a population ...

, Biscay.

Franchises

''Aliprox'' supermarkets are not owned by Eroski, despite having a similar logo. Instead, Aliprox is the

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...

for

franchises Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television ...

. These outlets are independently owned, but still maintain the same product ranges, sales policies and general standard expected throughout the company. There are presently 553 franchised outlets.

Finances

As of mid-2016, Eroski's operating income is 45% higher than in the first semester of the 2015 and kept improving up to 54 million Euros *Eroski has 442 new generation shops, 23 hypermarkets and 419 supermarkets, growing by 7% in sales on average *Turnover keeps stable at 2,965 million Euros *Investments reach 45 million Euros, mainly aimed at shop refurbishment and information systems *It reduced its financial debt by 169 million Euros during the first six months of the year *Between February and July this year, EROSKI generated 625 new jobs in its owned and franchised shops *The parent cooperative EROSKI S. Coop. reached a profit of 8.8 million Euros

Staff

*In 2004,

staff Staff may refer to: Pole * Staff, a weapon used in stick-fighting ** Quarterstaff, a European pole weapon * Staff of office, a pole that indicates a position * Staff (railway signalling), a token authorizing a locomotive driver to use a particula ...

numbers exceeded 30,000 for the first time. *Nearly 7,000 new positions have been created in the last four years.

Growth

Brand

These names replace the former hierarchy of 'Eroski', 'Maxi', 'Consum' and 'Charter', the latter of which was the name reserved for smaller franchise stores. This

rebranding Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, invest ...

took place during the course of 2003-2004 in an effort to re-focus the company as the many different names confused customers. Indeed, regardless of the name over the door,

customers In sales, commerce, and economics, a customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product or an idea - obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier via a financial transaction or exchange f ...

inevitably referred to the shops as 'Eroski', not Maxi or Charter. Under the new name, consumers are referring to the company correctly.

By country

Spain

In 2007, Eroski purchased Caprabo, adding around 500 supermarkets to the chain.

France

Having taken a strong grip over the Spanish mainland, especially in the Basque Country from where the company originates. It is now expanding into

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. They have three

hypermarket A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including ...

s, eighteen supermarkets and seven petrol stations in the country at this time. Alongside this, they also own the Forum Sport store chain, 172

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. ...

shops and six cash and carry outlets. A merger with the

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

-based co-operative '' Consum'' lasted only a few years. In 2005, each went their own way. Figures correct as of July 2005.

United Kingdom

As of 2022, Eroski has four stores in Gibraltar.

References

External links

Eroski Group Website
(Spanish, Catalan, Basque and Galician)
Consumer Eroski
magazine. {{Authority control Supermarkets of Spain Supermarkets Food retailers Distribution (marketing) Mondragon Corporation Retail companies established in 1969 Spanish companies established in 1969 Companies established in 1969 1969 in Spain Biscay Basque companies