Pingo Doce

{{short description|Portuguese supermarket chain}}

{{Infobox company

| logo = Pingo Doce logo.svg

| name = Pingo Doce - Distribuição Alimentar, S.A.|

| type = Private, SA|

| foundation = (1980)

| founder = Ana Carriço

| location_city = Lisbon, Portugal

| area_served = Portugal

| industry = Retail

| products = Supermarkets

| parent = {{Plainlist|

• Jerónimo Martins (51%)
• Ahold Delhaize (49%)

}}

| website = {{url|pingodoce.pt}}

| footnotes =

}}

File:Pingo Doce Rua Alves Redol Albufeira 9 September 2015 (1).JPG)]]

Pingo Doce (Sweet Drop in English) is one of the largest supermarket operators in Portugal, with 482 stores as of 2023 (just behind Continente which is the largest food retailer in the country{{Cite news |date=2023-03-23 |title=Pingo Doce Runs The Biggest Store Network In Portugal, Survey Finds |publisher=European Supermarket Magazine |url=https://www.esmmagazine.com/retail/pingo-doce-runs-the-biggest-store-network-in-portugal-survey-finds-233118}}).{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-03-07 |title=Pingo Doce vai abrir 50 restaurantes este ano para ser maior rede em Portugal |url=https://eco.sapo.pt/2024/03/07/pingo-doce-vai-abrir-50-restaurantes-este-ano-para-ser-maior-rede-em-portugal/ |access-date=2024-04-30 |website=ECO |language=pt-PT}}

It belongs to the Portuguese company Jerónimo Martins and the Dutch-based Ahold Delhaize. Since 1992, Pingo Doce has been operated as a joint venture by Jerónimo Martins, in which it holds 51% and the Dutch retail chain Ahold Delhaize 49%.{{Cite web |date=2015-03-15 |title=Pingo Doce |url=https://www.ahold.com/Media/Pingo-Doce.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315212206/https://www.ahold.com/Media/Pingo-Doce.htm |archive-date=15 March 2015 |access-date=2022-04-30}} In the 1990s, Jerónimo Martins acquired Brazilian supermarket chain Sé Supermercados, which became the Brazilian equivalent to Pingo Doce. In Poland, since 1997 the group has established Biedronka, the country's largest food retail chain. In the early 2000s, Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição / Grupo Pão de Açúcar, bought out Sé, rebranding its stores as Pão de Açúcar and CompreBem.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-04 |title=Jerónimo Martins vende cadeia Sé à Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição |url=http://www.jeronimomartins.pt/media/press-releases/pr_20020701_296_ptpdf.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185809/http://www.jeronimomartins.pt/media/press-releases/pr_20020701_296_ptpdf.aspx |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=2022-04-30}}

File:LogoPingoDoce.png

Since 2008, the chain uses its current logo, repositioned itself in the market, merged the Feira Nova supermarkets and hypermarkets into the Pingo Doce brand and has done aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns in order to maintain its position.{{Cite web |title=História | Pingo Doce |url=http://www.pingodoce.pt/pt/sobre-o-pingo-doce/historia/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104212550/http://www.pingodoce.pt/pt/sobre-o-pingo-doce/historia/ |archive-date=2014-01-04 |access-date=2014-01-04}} The Jerónimo Martins Group began establishing local businesses in Colombia in March 2013 through Ara.{{Cite web |date=2015-04-27 |title=Distribuição alimentar {{!}} Negócios Jerónimo Martins |url=http://www.jeronimomartins.pt/negocios/distribui%C3%A7%C3%A3o-alimentar.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427025120/http://www.jeronimomartins.pt/negocios/distribui%C3%A7%C3%A3o-alimentar.aspx |archive-date=2015-04-27 |access-date=2022-04-30}} From 2008 to 2010, Pingo Doce took over the Feira Nova brand.{{Cite web |date=2015-04-07 |title=História {{!}} Pingo Doce |url=http://www.pingodoce.pt/pt/o-pingo-doce/historia/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407190250/http://www.pingodoce.pt/pt/o-pingo-doce/historia/ |archive-date=2015-04-07 |access-date=2022-04-30}} In 2021, Pingo Doce popularized the slogan "Quem trouxe, quem trouxe? Foi o Pingo Doce!" (Who brought [it]? Who brought [it]? It was Pingo Doce!) with a catchy Christmas jingle.{{Cite web |last=Farinha |first=Ricardo |date=2023-12-23 |title=Quem trouxe, quem trouxe? Como nasceu a música sensação do Pingo Doce |trans-title=Who brought it, who brought it? How Pingo Doce's sensational song was born |url=https://www.nit.pt/cultura/quem-trouxe-quem-trouxe-a-historia-da-criacao-da-musica-sensacao-do-pingo-doce}}

In April 2025, Pingo Doce launched what it described as the first restaurant in Portugal to implement AI-powered self-checkout terminals. Located in the Comida Fresca unit at Alegro Sintra shopping center, the system recognizes food items directly on customers’ trays using advanced image recognition. The technology was developed by the French startup Retail Robotics Solutions, which specializes in computer vision for foodservice automation. According to Pingo Doce, the AI solution aims to reduce wait times and improve the overall customer experience.{{Cite web |last=do Mar |first=Diana |title=Pingo Doce opens first restaurant in Portugal with AI checkout |url=https://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/empresas/comercio/detalhe/pingo-doce-abre-o-primeiro-restaurante-em-portugal-com-pagamento-por-ia |website=Jornal de Negócios |date=2025-04-07 |access-date=2025-04-16}}{{Cite web |last=Pires |first=Ruben |title=Comida Fresca at Alegro Sintra now offers AI self-checkout |url=https://jornaleconomico.sapo.pt/noticias/pingo-doce-comida-fresca-do-alegro-sintra-disponibiliza-pagamento-self-checkout-com-ia |website=Jornal Económico |date=2025-04-07 |access-date=2025-04-16}}{{Cite web |title=Comida Fresca at Pingo Doce becomes first AI-powered restaurant in Portugal |url=https://marketeer.sapo.pt/comida-fresca-no-pingo-doce-e-o-primeiro-restaurante-em-portugal-com-pagamento-por-ia/ |website=Marketeer.pt |date=2025-04-08 |access-date=2025-04-16}}