Continente

{{Infobox company

| name = Continente

| logo = Logo Continente.svg

| logo_size = 200px

| caption =

| type = Subsidiary

| traded_as =

| fate =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| foundation = Matosinhos, Portugal ({{Start date|1985}})

| founder = João Rui Rego

| defunct =

| location = Matosinhos, Portugal

| locations = 519 stores (2018)

| area_served =

| key_people =

| industry = Retail

| products = Grocery
General merchandise
Financial services

| services =

| revenue = {{increase}} €3.275 million (2010){{Citation | url = http://www.sonae.pt/fotos/editor2/ea2010port.pdf | format = PDF | title = Annual Report 2010 | publisher = Sonae | accessdate = 4 March 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110520011425/http://www.sonae.pt/fotos/editor2/ea2010port.pdf | archive-date = 20 May 2011 | url-status = dead }}

| operating_income = {{increase}} €147 million (2010)

| net_income =

| assets =

| equity =

| owner =

| num_employees = 28,150 (2010)

| parent = Sonae

| divisions =

| subsid =

| homepage = {{URL|www.continente.pt}}

| footnotes =

}}

Continente is a retail chain that belongs to Sonae Distribuição, the largest retailer in Portugal.{{cite web |url=http://www.ebizq.net/news/3274.html |title=Portugal's Biggest Retailer Selects SeeBeyond |publisher=ebiz |accessdate=2007-02-20 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407013406/http://www.ebizq.net/news/3274.html |archivedate=2007-04-07 |url-status=dead }} The hypermarket Continente chain is spread all over continental Portugal as well as on Madeira and in the Azores. The supermarket chain Continente Modelo, formerly named just Modelo, also has a nationwide presence. Sonae Distribuição, SGPS, SA, is a subsidiary company of Sonae SGPS.

History

Sonae Distribuição started in 1985 by the merger of two large retailers, Modelo and Continente. Modelo was owned by the Sonae holding, while Continente was the Portuguese and Spanish operation of the French retailer Promodès, known by the ensign Continent elsewhere.

Thus, it was part-owned by its French competitor, Carrefour, who sold their stake to Sonae for €345 million on 16 November 2004.{{cite web | url=http://www.carrefour.com/docs/comm_portugal_pologne161104en.pdf | title=Carrefour announces the divestment of its stake in Modelo Continente and the acquisition of 13 hypermarkets in Poland from Ahold. | publisher=Carrefour | accessdate=2007-02-20 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203035859/http://www.carrefour.com/docs/comm_portugal_pologne161104en.pdf | archivedate=2007-02-03 }}

In 2008, Carrefour sold its Portuguese retail ventures existing under the Carrefour ensign to Sonae. Continente used to have one branch in Dubai, which was later purchased by Carrefour. The Continente ensign disappeared from Spain after the 1999 Carrefour-Promodès merge.

Store formats

File:Continente Colombo (Abril 2017).png

The supermarket chain operates three main store formats; regular Continente stores, Continente Bom Dia (convenience stores and smaller supermarkets in urban locations, designed for more frequent purchases of everyday life, {{convert|800|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}) and Continente Modelo stores (hypermarkets of proximity, with an area of about {{convert|2000|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}).

At the end of its 2009/10 financial year Continente store portfolio was as follows.

class="wikitable"

! Format

! Number

! Total Space (m²)

Continente

| 53

Continente Modelo

| 137

Continente Bom Dia

| 147

Wells