The consumer basket for Easter this year in BILLA Bulgaria will be cheaper by about 2.3% from 2023 – BGN 47 compared to BGN 49 a year earlier. This was announced to journalists by the executive director of the company, Vigintas Shapokas.
The chain’s traditional holiday staples include lamb, sausage, eggs, cheese, potatoes, as well as the usual salad greens.
During this year’s Easter holidays, 100% of the lamb that BILLA will offer to its customers is of proven Bulgarian origin, delivered from dozens of farms throughout the country. The expected final price for consumers will be around and below BGN 20 per kilogram.
Most eggs for the holiday are from Bulgarian producers, but due to the cases of bird flu in the country, there will also be some imported from Poland.
There are 17 types of kozunaks, the cheapest of which will be priced below two levs.
Deflation
Overall, since the beginning of the year, BILLA has reported deflation in its stores, Shapokas reported. He pointed out that many of the chain’s suppliers have started to lower prices.
Deflation is 2.6% for regular prices for March 2024 compared to March 2023. The most noticeable decline in BILLA prices is for fruits and vegetables by nearly 11%, dairy products by just over 5% and cosmetics by nearly 4% compared to March 2023. The retail chain also reports deflation in canned foods, beverages and staple foods.
Expansion
BILLA Bulgaria continues to grow, after the significant progress it made in 2022. For 2023, the company reports higher results compared to the previous year, recording a 15% increase in turnover and 0.5 percentage points in its market share. The positive trend is also maintained in the number of customers, as for 2023 the retail chain registered a growth of 5.4% compared to 2022. The Bulgarian branch of BILLA is in third place in terms of turnover growth in the entire REWE group, noted Shapokas.
BILLA maintains its leadership position in terms of number of stores in Bulgaria with 159 sites in 25 regions and 50 cities in the country. In 2023, the company renovated 14 of its sites and opened 11 stores, entering the cities of Sozopol, Chirpan, Troyan, Silistra and the village of Graf Ignatievo for the first time.
In 2024, BILLA will invest BGN 47 million, out of a total of over BGN 50 million, in the construction of its new warehouse base near the village of Zagore, the first sod of which was broken last September. The depot is already under construction, and with its commissioning in 2025, it will contribute to greater flexibility and efficiency of supplies throughout the country. The company’s investment in the modernization of existing sites and the opening of new stores will exceed BGN 73 million, and the retail chain will create over 250 jobs.
In 2024, BILLA will open 12 new stores, setting foot in the cities of Tutrakan and Teteven for the first time.
Promotional offers
BILLA offers its customers an average of over 1,300 promotional offers per week. As part of its turnover, the promotional share for March 2024 exceeds 48%, which is 3% more than the same period of the previous year.
BILLA’s corporate policy promotes the consumption and production of local products, sourcing 85% of its assortment from Bulgarian companies. Thus, the trade chain provides a market for the manufactured products of more than 700 native companies and helps the development of the local economy.
BILLA is the third largest private employer in Bulgaria – with over 5,000 employees in 50 cities in the country. The main priority of the company is to support each member of the team and provide them with an equal chance for development. In 2023, over 140 young people aged 16-18 took their first career steps into the trades by completing the BILLA Summer Apprenticeship Programme.
More than 200 employees with disabilities are part of the company’s team – double the number required by law, which reinforces the retail chain’s commitment to inclusion and diversity in the working environment.
Loyalty program
In October 2023, BILLA Bulgaria announced its new loyalty program, which follows a clear and simple principle – the more each customer shops, the more discounts they receive. In the first six months since the start of the program, users have benefited from over 1.1 million bonus vouchers, with 245,000 of them purchasing a product at a promotional price of BGN 0.01. During the same period, every second BILLA holder Card has unlocked at least one of the four types of bonus vouchers. Over 2.2 million Bulgarians have a BILLA Card, with 1.5 million actively using it and taking advantage of the chain’s special offers.
Online
BILLA Bulgaria launched its new channel for online trade with supplies in Sofia in April 2023, and in less than a year the scope of the service has successfully expanded to three more cities – Plovdiv, Varna and Pleven. With this approach, the company continues its policy of being closer to its customers, offering them quick and easy access to an assortment of nearly 5,000 products. The data shows that consumers are extremely positive about this new opportunity, and BILLA’s online channel generates between 300 and 400 orders every day and a turnover equal to that of a medium-sized chain store. In order to guarantee the high quality of the service, BILLA set aside a separate unit in each of the objects participating in the project, in which the so-called “pickers”. This is a new position for the company and the market for employees who carefully and carefully select each customer’s online order.
Social responsibility
BILLA maintains long-term partnerships with five organizations, and for the last 3 years the company has invested over half a million BGN in support of social causes with a focus on children and youth in the country. The special edition “BILLA and friends – for the children of Bulgaria” shares inspiring stories of partners and beneficiaries from the “I Want a Baby” foundation, the “CONCORDIA Bulgaria” foundation, the “SOS Children’s Villages Bulgaria” association, the Bulgarian Red Cross and the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria. Within a little more than 30 pages, the publication takes us through the successes and challenges along the difficult, but full of beautiful moments, path of people who have dedicated their lives to positive change in society. The magazine is available online on the chain’s website, as well as free in print at larger BILLA stores.
