Jerónimo Martins

Jerónimo Martins is a Portuguese corporate group whose modern activities center on food distribution and retail. Although the organization traces its origins to a Lisbon business founded in 1792, its present identity is that of an international retail operator rather than a single consumer-facing store brand. The group is headquartered in Lisbon and is listed on Euronext Lisbon under the symbol JMT. Its principal geographic markets are Portugal, Poland, Colombia, and, from 2025, Slovakia. The group's Portuguese operations include Pingo Doce supermarkets and hypermarkets, Recheio cash-and-carry stores, and Jeronymo coffee shops. Pingo Doce is operated through Jerónimo Martins Retail, a joint venture in which Jerónimo Martins holds 51% and Ahold Delhaize holds 49%; the partnership dates from 1982. Recheio serves professional customers and other food-service or small-retail buyers through a wholesale-oriented format, while Jeronymo provides a more specialized café and coffee-shop proposition. Poland is the group's largest operating market by sales contribution. Jerónimo Martins owns Biedronka, a large discount-grocery chain that accounts for approximately 70% of group sales according to the referenced company description. Biedronka's proposition is built around accessible pricing, high store density, everyday grocery demand, and a combination of private-label and branded products. The group also operates Hebe in Poland, a health-and-beauty and cosmetics retail chain. In 2025, Biedronka began developing a food-retail presence in Slovakia and opened its first Slovak store in March of that year, extending the group's principal discount-retail format into a new market. Jerónimo Martins entered Colombia in 2013 with the launch of Ara stores and the opening of its first distribution center there. Ara is a proximity-oriented food-retail format designed for everyday shopping and value-conscious consumers. The Colombian operation added a third major national platform to the group's Portuguese and Polish businesses and gave Jerónimo Martins a foothold in Latin American grocery retail. The group has also operated outside its current core portfolio. Former activities include the British sports retailer Lillywhites, which was sold in 2002 to Sports World International; a stake in the Polish cash-and-carry company Eurocash; and the Brazilian supermarket chain Supermercados Sé, sold to Grupo Pão de Açúcar in 2002. Until 2016, Jerónimo Martins also participated in the manufacture of several Unilever brands through Unilever Jerónimo Martins, a joint venture owned 45% by Jerónimo Martins and 55% by Unilever. Strategically, Jerónimo Martins combines large-scale grocery retail with complementary formats: discount supermarkets, conventional supermarkets and hypermarkets, wholesale cash-and-carry, health and beauty, cafés, and proximity stores. Its portfolio is therefore organized around frequent-consumption categories and operational scale rather than luxury or discretionary retail. The group's current international profile is led by Biedronka in Poland, supported by Pingo Doce and Recheio in Portugal and Ara in Colombia, with Slovakia representing a newer geographic expansion for the Biedronka format.

Jerónimo Martins traces its origins to a business established in Lisbon in 1792. Over time, the organization developed from its historical Portuguese base into a diversified corporate group focused primarily on food distribution and retail. The available reference material does not identify the original founder or provide a continuous account of every stage between the eighteenth-century origin and the modern group. A major structural development was the creation of the Jerónimo Martins Retail partnership in Portugal. Since 1982, Jerónimo Martins Retail has operated the Pingo Doce supermarket and hypermarket chain through a 51%-49% joint venture between Jerónimo Martins and the Dutch company Ahold Delhaize. This arrangement made Pingo Doce a central part of the group's Portuguese food-retail platform while connecting it to an international retail partner. In Portugal, the group also operates Recheio, a cash-and-carry business serving professional customers and wholesale food-distribution needs. Its specialized-retail activities include Jeronymo coffee shops. Together, these businesses give the group exposure to household grocery shopping, professional food purchasing, and café consumption. The group's most important international expansion has taken place in Poland. Jerónimo Martins owns Biedronka, a discount-store chain that became the largest business in the group's portfolio and contributes approximately 70% of total group sales according to the referenced description. Biedronka's scale and focus on everyday value transformed Poland into the group's principal operating market. Jerónimo Martins later broadened its Polish retail presence through Hebe, a health-and-beauty and cosmetics chain. The company also pursued international growth in Latin America. In 2013, it entered Colombia through Ara, opening its first stores and a distribution center. Ara added a proximity-focused grocery format to the group's portfolio and established Colombia as its third major national retail platform alongside Portugal and Poland. Jerónimo Martins has periodically exited or restructured activities outside its current core businesses. It formerly owned Lillywhites, a British sports-goods retailer, before selling it to Sports World International in 2002. It also held a stake in Eurocash, a Polish cash-and-carry operator, and owned Supermercados Sé in Brazil until selling that supermarket chain to Grupo Pão de Açúcar in 2002. In manufacturing, the group participated in Unilever Jerónimo Martins, a joint venture producing several Unilever brands. Jerónimo Martins owned 45% of that venture and Unilever owned 55%; the group's industrial facilities connected to that activity were retained until 2016. The latest expansion described in the reference material is the development of Biedronka in Slovakia. The first Slovak Biedronka store opened in March 2025, marking an attempt to transfer the group's strongest discount-grocery concept into another Central European market. In its current form, Jerónimo Martins is therefore an international food-retail group built around a small number of high-scale operating platforms: Pingo Doce and Recheio in Portugal, Biedronka and Hebe in Poland, Ara in Colombia, and the emerging Biedronka operation in Slovakia.

• 2025

  Biedronka enters Slovakia

  [1]Jerónimo Martinsen.wikipedia.org

  Biedronka began developing a food-retail operation in Slovakia and opened its first store there in March 2025.

• 2016

  End of industrial facilities linked to Unilever venture

  [1]Jerónimo Martinsen.wikipedia.org

  Jerónimo Martins' industrial facilities associated with the Unilever Jerónimo Martins joint venture were operated until 2016.

• 2013

  Entry into Colombia

  [1]Jerónimo Martinsen.wikipedia.org

  Jerónimo Martins opened its first Ara stores and its first distribution center in Colombia.

• 2002

  Selected overseas disposals

  [1]Jerónimo Martinsen.wikipedia.org

  The group sold Lillywhites to Sports World International and divested Supermercados Sé in Brazil to Grupo Pão de Açúcar.

• 1982

  Pingo Doce joint venture begins

  [1]Jerónimo Martinsen.wikipedia.org

  Jerónimo Martins Retail began operating as a 51%-49% joint venture between Jerónimo Martins and Ahold Delhaize to run the Pingo Doce chain in Portugal.

• 1792

  Origins in Lisbon

  [1]Jerónimo Martinsen.wikipedia.org

  The business that gives the group its historical identity was established in Lisbon, Portugal.

A large-scale, value-oriented food-retail group combining discount grocery, mainstream supermarket, wholesale, proximity, health-and-beauty, and café formats.

• Discount grocery retail

  Biedronka

  Biedronka is Jerónimo Martins' principal discount-grocery business and its largest sales contributor. It operates in Poland, where it is described as the country's largest discount-store chain, and began expanding into Slovakia in 2025. The format emphasizes frequent grocery purchases, accessible prices, broad store coverage, and a mix of branded and private-label food and household products.

• Supermarkets and hypermarkets

  Pingo Doce

  Pingo Doce is Jerónimo Martins' principal Portuguese supermarket and hypermarket chain. It is operated by Jerónimo Martins Retail, a joint venture in which Jerónimo Martins has a 51% stake and Ahold Delhaize has 49%. The chain serves household grocery demand through a mainstream food-retail format.

• Cash-and-carry wholesale

  Recheio

  Recheio is Jerónimo Martins' Portuguese cash-and-carry business. Its wholesale-oriented stores serve professional buyers and support food-distribution needs beyond conventional household supermarket shopping. The format complements Pingo Doce by addressing business customers and other purchasers seeking larger-volume grocery supplies.

• Proximity grocery retail · 2013

  Ara

  Ara is Jerónimo Martins' Colombian food-retail format. The group launched its Colombian operation in 2013 with Ara stores and a distribution center. Ara provides a proximity-oriented grocery proposition aimed at regular, value-conscious shopping and gives the group a dedicated platform for expansion in Colombia.

• Health and beauty retail

  Hebe

  Hebe is Jerónimo Martins' Polish health-and-beauty and cosmetics retail chain. It extends the group's Polish presence beyond food discounting into personal-care and beauty categories, creating a specialized retail offer alongside Biedronka.

• Coffee shops

  Jeronymo

  Jeronymo is Jerónimo Martins' specialized coffee-shop business in Portugal. It provides the group with exposure to café consumption and a retail format distinct from its supermarket, wholesale, and discount-grocery operations.

• 2025

  Biedronka expansion into SlovakiaStrategy

  Background

  Jerónimo Martins pursued further geographic growth for its Biedronka discount-food format after establishing the chain as its leading business in Poland.

  Action taken

  Biedronka began developing a Slovak food-retail operation and opened its first Slovak store in March 2025.

  Aftermath

  Slovakia became an additional operating market for the group and a new test market for the Biedronka format.

  Source

• 2013

  Entry into Colombian grocery retailStrategy

  Background

  Jerónimo Martins sought to extend its food-retail model into Latin America.

  Action taken

  The group opened its first Ara stores and its first Colombian distribution center.

  Aftermath

  Ara became Jerónimo Martins' Colombian operating platform.

  Source

• 2002

  Disposal of Lillywhites and Supermercados SéM&A

  Background

  Jerónimo Martins reduced exposure to businesses outside its developing core food-retail focus.

  Action taken

  The group sold Lillywhites to Sports World International and Supermercados Sé to Grupo Pão de Açúcar.

  Aftermath

  These disposals removed the British sports-retail and Brazilian supermarket operations from the group's portfolio.

  Source

• 1982

  Establishment of the Pingo Doce operating partnershipStrategy

  Background

  Jerónimo Martins developed its Portuguese supermarket platform through Jerónimo Martins Retail, a joint venture with Ahold Delhaize.

  Action taken

  The partnership was structured with Jerónimo Martins holding 51% and Ahold Delhaize holding 49%, and it operated the Pingo Doce chain.

  Aftermath

  Pingo Doce became a central component of Jerónimo Martins' Portuguese food-retail operations.

  Source

1. 1Jerónimo Martinsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Jerónimo Martins official websitejeronimomartins.com