bonÀrea will invest 110 million and open 23 new stores this year

The bonÀrea Corporación group plans to make investments of 110 million euros this year to advance its commercial growth plan and also give new impetus to the production center it is building in Aragon. This was announced this Thursday by the company during its general shareholders' meeting, in which it was also approved to allocate 25% of the profits obtained in 2023 to remunerate the farmers and ranchers who share ownership of the group. bonÀrea's capital is highly fragmented, as it is in the hands of 4,100 shareholders, mostly also members of bonÀrea Cooperativa, better known as the Guissona Cooperative.

Specifically, as agreed by the board, shareholders will receive a dividend of 24 euros per share, 14.3% more than the previous year. In total, 20.7 million euros will be distributed, which is equivalent to a quarter of the 81.3 million net profit with which the 2023 financial year closed, up 17%. These earnings represent a return on sales close to 3%, since, in total, bonÀrea Corporación invoiced 2,720 million euros last year.

The Lleida-based group has a totally verticalized business structure, which allows it to control the entire value chain, from farm to plate. The bonÀrea network of stores and supermarkets is the most strategic part of the corporation, with a total of 574 establishments located in Catalonia, Aragon, La Rioja, Navarra, Madrid, the Valencian Community, Castilla-La Mancha and Andorra. The objective is to open 23 new points of sale this year and, in parallel, relocate or expand another 14 establishments. An investment of 35.5 million euros will be allocated to this opening plan, purchase of new premises and adaptation of existing ones.

Another important part of the 110 million foreseen in the investment plan will be absorbed by the new production center that is being built in the municipality of Épila (Zaragoza) and in which 200 million have already been invested so far. This new productive complex will significantly multiply the production capacity of the current facilities in Guissona and will allow the group to accelerate its expansion towards the center and north of Spain. Other notable investments will be allocated to the logistics center in Gavà, to the slaughterhouses, to the processed products factory in Guissona, and to the development of new products. Specifically, it is planned to increase the number of bonÀrea branded products by 30 references. In addition, bonÀrea plans to open five new gas stations this year; it currently has 62 service stations.

"In a challenging socioeconomic moment, we continue to make a strong investment effort to reinforce our fully integrated business model in rural areas. Thanks to our strategy, we continue to demonstrate, one more year, the solidity of the company, which allows us to create value and boost economic activity by generating opportunities in the environment," said the president of bonÀrea Corporación, Jaume Alsina, during the meeting. His son, Ramon Alsina, who is the group's CEO, stressed that in the last five years, the company has made investments of 600 million, "a record figure in our history." "Looking ahead, we have the vocation to continue consolidating our unique model without intermediaries, growing in strategic areas and reinforcing our network of establishments and all the company's production processes, as well as betting on innovation and sustainability," he added.