To mark the second anniversary of the Lagoa branch of Apolónia on 25 June, the company will be offering discounts of up to 50 percent off more than 2,000 products in store.
There will also be sparkling wine and treats for clients and a reusable Apolónia shopping bag will be given to clients who spend over €10 on the day.
Speaking to The Portugal News, company administrator, Paulo Apólonia, said that the better than expected success of the Lagoa store was largely down to the staff and the culture within the company of providing an exceptional level of service to all clients.
This culture was first fostered in the Almancil store and then carried through to the Galé and Lagoa branches.
“Many of our foreign clients tell us that they wish they could have a branch of Apolónia in their home country,” he said.
“Our staff are genuine and professional and really care about clients. We may be a large supermarket but we have kept the atmosphere of a small local grocery store with our customer service levels.”
For Paulo Apolónia, Lagoa was a clear choice for another branch of the expanding company: “We actually aimed to open in Lagoa before Galé and had been looking for the right location for some 20 years.
“Lagoa is an excellent market, it is not as dense as Almancil or as busy perhaps as Galé but there has been sustained growth in the area for many years. Now there is a Michelin star restaurant in the area, top quality resorts and many good restaurants. You can feel the area growing and changing.”
The Lagoa branch has been the base for new innovations within the company with both a para-pharmacy and a stationers shop featuring in the supermarket.
“We aim to try to provide the best experience for our clients and the stationers shop has proved to be popular for paying bills such as tolls, while the para-pharmacy is gaining a large following. We are always listening to customer feedback, especially about products that they think we should stock which often are then put into the stores after evaluation,” said Paulo Apolónia.
With three branches now in the Algarve, plans are already in place for a fourth to be opened in Lagos.
“Lagos has a unique market, with less seasonality. Tavira in the east, as well as Olhão, is also an area of growth in the Algarve but our priority is to open in Lagos first then we will look to the eastern Algarve,” he explained.
With almost 500 employees working for the company, Apolónia is now a far cry from the small house in Almancil owned by Paulo’s grandmother where the business first began. However the strong family ethos of being a real supermarket and offering a real service to clients continues to lead the company into the future.