This is Coop, the Swiss supermarket that arrives in Spain: in which cities it will open and what products it offers

In the absence of the final formalities of a purchase that is already more than agreed, they have been made with GM Food (former Miquel Alimentació). In this way, this Swiss chain will land in Spain in the coming months with the clear objective of further expanding its business model, while establishing itself in southern Europe.

From being a small cooperative to becoming the second largest food company in Switzerland, with a presence in several countries around the world. Coop, whose name refers to its beginnings in 1864, took the big step of what it is now in 2001 when the still existing small consortiums that existed in the Swiss country merged with Coop Schweiz in an operation with a clear vision of the future.

Now a large multinational, the fierce competition with Lidl, Aldi or other Swiss supermarkets such as Migros have caused the chain to focus on direct contact with the consumer. Thus, Coop has from service stations and gas stations, to pharmacies or perfumeries, in addition to its own supermarkets.

In which cities will it open?

A model that lands in Spain, still without official details that are expected to be revealed around mid-May, Coop has disbursed about 230 million euros to take over GM Food, which until now belonged to the Chinese Bright Food.

GM Food has a presence throughout Spain thanks to more than 800 franchised supermarkets with Spar, Suma and Proxim

For this reason, it is unknown if the initial plans of this new chain will be to convert the establishments that GM Food already had or to start a strong expansion in other parts of the country. With a greater presence in Catalonia, the company in Asian hands had managed to establish itself with offices in Burgos, Malaga, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Barcelona, ​​Tarragona, Gerona and Madrid.

All thanks to having more than 800 franchised supermarkets in Spain, with Spar, Suma and Proxim, 70 wholesale distribution points and 6 logistics platforms. To do this, GM Food had 2,500 workers and a turnover in recent years of more than 1,000 million euros.

What products stand out in Coop?

With almost 25,000 employees worldwide and a turnover of more than CHF 10 billion, Coop stands out for modernity, quality and innovation. To do this, the chain has never opted for a low price policy (such as Alcampo’s) although it has daring offers and products.

From high-quality organic food, its commitment to gourmet and specialized food is one of the chain’s hallmarks (as Directoalpaladar mentions). In addition, it has renowned firms such as Fooby, Sapori d’Italia or The Karma Shop dedicated to culinary crafts, 100% Italian products or vegan food, respectively.

Coop has never stood out for implementing a low price policy, but rather for its quality and innovation

All in supermarkets that are complemented by the aforementioned gas stations or pharmacies, as well as their own line of takeaway food, which will soon be in Spain. We will have to wait for a month to find out the specific plans, but what is already known is that Coop has arrived with the clear intention of staying and establishing a new concept of supermarket, in the midst of the war already waged by the existing ones for be the king among consumers.