The dynamically developing non-food retail chain Pepco is celebrating the opening of its three-thousandth store at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin – a symbolic summary of nearly 20 years of brand development. The chain opened its first stores in Poland in 2004, starting with 14 outlets located in Poznań, Gdańsk, and Bydgoszcz.
And since 2013, Pepco has begun expanding its operations to Central and Eastern Europe, including Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, and Lithuania, and in recent years has also entered Western markets such as Spain, Italy, Austria, and Germany – showing that the entire Europe is within the brand's reach. Poland remains a key market for the brand, with nearly 1200 stores. This number will continue to grow due to the planned expansion of the chain, which is accompanied by a change in the appearance of the outlets.
After entering Greece in October, the brand is now present in 17 countries. Its two-thousandth store was opened in June 2020, in the city of Makarska in Croatia, which shows how rapid the pace of this carefully planned expansion is. The brand aims to continue its development, planning to enter Portugal in spring 2023.
The opening of the 3,000th store is an important milestone in our development. Thanks to the economies of scale, we have entered a phase of extremely dynamic growth, and on average, every day, somewhere in Europe, we open at least one Pepco store, and every year we enter two new European markets. In the last financial year alone, we opened 446 new outlets, and we intend to grow even faster. As Pepco Group, which also owns the Poundland and Dealz brands, we want to open 20,000 stores across Europe – said Anand Patel, Managing Director, Pepco.
The opening of the new store at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin was preceded by a ceremony to which Pepco representatives from all markets were invited. Several managers who opened the first Pepco store in their countries, local partners, press, as well as Anand Patel, Managing Director of Pepco, attended the event, which took place on November 30, 2022. The dynamic development of the chain testifies to how popular this brand is among Pepco customers, all thanks to, among other things, a diverse assortment for the whole family and home, which includes about 500 product categories, at the best prices. Pepco's wide offer includes women's, men's, and children's clothing loved by mothers, as well as home goods, toys, and cosmetics.
The chain also offers limited collections, licensed products, and seasonal offers, e.g., back-to-school or Christmas collections. The company also regularly develops its offer with sustainable products, enabling more and more people to make more conscious, environmentally friendly choices every day. In stores, you can buy products with external certificates confirming a sustainable approach to production, such as the GOTS, Oeko-Text, or Global Recycled Standard certificates. This year, a new collection of home accessories Pepco is Green was also introduced, which meets at least one of the criteria: they are biodegradable, contain recycled materials, or are made from natural materials sourced with respect for the environment.
In the current inflationary environment, our approach to retail and our offering of high-quality products at good prices has become even more attractive to consumers. We have confirmed our strong position in Western European markets, successfully entering five of them, culminating in the opening of the three-thousandth store. We therefore believe that we can further accelerate the pace of growth both in Poland and across Europe. In the Polish market, which is currently our largest, we still see potential for development – said Aleksandr Cikaidze, Retail Director at Pepco.
Currently, Pepco employs 25,000 people in 17 European countries, including over 10,000 employees in Poland and over 900 at the Poznań headquarters. The opening of the three-thousandth store confirms that the brand is one of the largest employers in the brick-and-mortar retail sector in our part of Europe.
