Dia Spain is preparing for a new phase of growth in the national market, with the opening of more supermarkets once the intense transformation process carried out in recent years is completed. The company plans to refinance its debt in 2027, an operation that will support this expansion plan and that could also open the door to resuming dividend payments to shareholders.
In detail, the distribution chain plans to end 2026 with 100 additional supermarkets and add another 100 openings throughout 2027, after a stage in which the strategic priority had been "to clean up before growing," as pointed out by the CEO of Dia Spain, Ricardo Álvarez, during his speech at the 41st Aecoc Congress of Large Consumption.
As part of the transformation plan for the 3,100 stores that the brand initially had, about 2,300 were adjusted to the new commercial concept defined by the company and have been completely renovated between 2021 and 2024.
After completing this profound redesign of the model, Dia is leaning towards establishments of between 300 and 500 square meters. "We are comfortable and it is where we believe our model fits best in terms of economic ratios for it to be profitable," the executive explained.
The top official of Dia Spain has emphasized that 97% of the points of sale in the network are already profitable and have managed to double the average sale, after chaining three consecutive years with profits. In this sense, Álvarez has stressed that these are formats capable of "performing well" both in urban environments and in rural areas.
Álvarez did not want to miss the opportunity to "thank" the support received from suppliers during the most delicate moments of the company. "They were very committed to the risk when the situation was very complicated and now it has improved a lot," he indicated.
In this context, the group plans to address the refinancing of its debt in 2027, after reducing the ratio below 1, currently placing it at 0.6 after generating "quite a bit" of cash.
"We are very, very good in terms of debt and a refinancing window opens for us. In addition to the cost side, also to restructure it in a much simpler, more pragmatic way that allows us to continue supporting the expansion and that allows us the possibility to be able, if we want and decide, to return to the shareholders who have suffered a lot," he has advanced.
Regarding the assortment, Álvarez has reiterated that the company's business model is based on a balance between the private label and the manufacturer brand. "We decided on a 50-50 basically because we couldn't agree, that's just how it is. If the strategy is working well, you don't change it, which is why it works for us, the strategy has remained intact since 2010."
"We continue with the manufacturer brand and what they bring us in terms of sales, innovation, quality, so we continue," he has indicated.
Regarding the use of new technologies, and specifically about artificial intelligence, the CEO of Dia España acknowledges that "it will be the revolution." "But we are quite practical, in practice we try to implement it in the areas of the company where it can provide us with benefits," he has pointed out.
The Colombian D1 studies to grow in Panama and Venezuela
On the other hand, the CEO of the Colombian supermarket chain D1, Christian Bäbler, has detailed the operation of its 'hard discount' model, a distribution format based on maximum operational simplicity, a reduced assortment, and a very tight cost structure to offer low prices to the consumer.
With establishments averaging about 330 square meters, D1 has established itself as one of the major references for discount in Colombia, a country where it has managed to have practically all households make at least one annual purchase at one of its points of sale.
The executive has pointed out that the company is interested in the possibility of entering other markets in the region, including Panama or Venezuela.
Bäbler has argued that 'hard discount' goes beyond a simple commercial format and also constitutes a corporate culture. "It's a way of thinking and making decisions. More than doing more, it consists of doing less and doing it better," he has pointed out.
In this line, he has recalled that this model was born to respond to a specific need from simplicity, pragmatism, and ease of purchase, and he has emphasized that its purpose is not to multiply options, but to effectively resolve the needs of the customer.
The executive has highlighted the reach achieved by the company, which serves more than two million customers a day, and has pointed out its role in bringing to the mass market categories that until recently were uncommon or difficult to find for many Colombian households.
"Thanks to us, in Colombia you can consume manchego cheese," he has stated, as an example of how the chain has contributed to expanding and democratizing the shopping basket.