“We are talking about 100 new stores by 2030, 150 renovations by 2030, more than 3,000 hires by 2030,” said Luís Moutinho to journalists, explaining that an investment of “1 billion euros by 2030 is planned for expansion, renovations, digital transformation.”
In light of the 40th anniversary of the first Continente store in Portugal, inaugurated on December 10, 1985, in Matosinhos, Porto district, Luís Moutinho noted that the expansion plan moves forward this Thursday with the opening of a Continente Bom Dia store in Alijó, Vila Real district, and next week another Continente Bom Dia store in the parish of Guia, in the municipality of Pombal, Leiria district.
At the beginning of 2026, the expansion will continue with the opening of stores in “Queluz, Alcântara Terra, Campo de Ourique” and with a “Continente Modelo in Malveira,” all in the Lisbon districts, Moutinho announced.
The expansion plan does not include the opening of hypermarkets nor the internationalization of the Continente brand over the next five years.
“In five years and, despite being an operator of excellence in the food retail sector and being a ‘best in class’ on a global scale, we also respect the fact that this is a very local business, and we do not want to venture into risks that could harm us. Today, we do not have any plan for the internationalization of the food retail we have in Portugal,” he explained.
Luís Moutinho emphasized that they are neither sad nor “asleep” because of this strategy, countering with “a lot of energy to continue moving forward.”
On the other hand, Sonae MC envisions internationalization in the health and beauty sector over the next five years, with the Druni brand (selective perfumery) being the most “endowed” and “capable” for this purpose.
“We understand that this health, beauty, and wellness business has more potential to internationalize,” he remarked, adding that they are in a phase of consolidation of Druni, Wells (parapharmacy), and Arenal (larger hybrid of parapharmacy and perfumery), and the plan is to reach more countries in the next five years.
However, Luís Moutinho declined to specify the geographies for advancing the internationalization of the health and beauty sector.
In the Sonae MC portfolio, there is currently “49% in the food sector” and “51% in the health and beauty sector,” meaning there are more health and beauty stores than food stores, although if measured in “square meters” the food retail area covers 80% of the area.
When asked if the expansion plan for the Continente brand is also intended to counter the Spanish operator Mercadona, Luís Moutinho acknowledged that the Spanish leader, which has been opening stores in Portugal, forces them to improve but emphasizes that the strategy to expand the number of stores is due to the feeling that the Continente brand “must reach places it hasn’t reached yet.”
“We have a 27% market share, and there are places where there are still no stores,” he clarified, noting with “country knowledge” and market surveys, the major opportunities identified “are in the country’s interior and large urban markets like Lisbon.”
Luís Moutinho admitted that the food retail market in Portugal is “very competitive, characterized by the presence of major international players” and the “growth of the presence and affirmation of the value proposition of Discounters in Europe,” but he states that the brand’s ambition is to continue meeting “all customer needs through a multiformat and proximity approach.”
