Supermarket trade sales were slightly more than EUR 7,117 million in January–September. There was a growth of 3.1 per cent from the previous year and approximately 15 per cent from 2019, i.e. the time before the coronavirus.

“The positive development is based on successes in store modernisations and assortment work, as well as cooperatives’ price competitiveness. Our core promise of an affordable shopping basket is highlighted in these times. The growth of the entire market has been 2.4 per cent in total this year, while sales at S Group grocery stores have grown significantly faster than the market. In supermarket trade, store modernisations have proceeded as planned from S-markets to the Sale chain. Next, the focus of the modernisations will move to Prisma”, says Hannu Krook, CEO of SOK.

From a busy summer season to the autumn in a positive mood

In January–September, the sales of the travel industry and hospitality business increased sharply by approximately 60 per cent from the previous year, reaching nearly EUR 524 million. In the spring, S Group hotels and restaurants began to be very busy, and this continues. An all-time record in sales in Finland was reached in July. August and September were made livelier by numerous events and the holiday season in Europe. Business travel is also returning to normal, and there is growing demand for meeting and order services. With the brisk start of the autumn season, the outlook of the travel industry and hospitality business for the rest of the year and the Christmas season is quite positive.

The favourable development of sales also continued at the ABC chain and the department store and speciality store trade. The sales of the department store and speciality store trade grew in January–September by 10.5 per cent from the previous year, totalling nearly EUR 180 million. Service station store and fuel sales totalled EUR 1,742 million. There was a growth of 33 per cent from the previous year.

Sales were busy at ABC service stations, even though the amounts of road traffic were lower than in the previous year due to increased holiday travel abroad and the high fuel prices. Service station sales grew particularly at ABC restaurants, driven by buffet sales. After the summer, sales at restaurants have continued to recover from the coronavirus period, supported by group travel and events. Electric vehicle charging is also continuing on a strong growth path with the rapidly expanding ABC charging network.

“Customers have been actively on the move, even after the end of the holiday season. After the long pandemic period and with the increased amount of remote work, people want to gather once again, both for work and leisure. We’ve succeeded in responding to this demand at S Group”, Hannu Krook says.

S Group’s retail sales excluding taxes, Jan–Sep 2022

Percentage changes from 2019, the time before the coronavirus crisis, are included for comparability.

Supermarket sales include S-Group’s retail trade, Prisma’s consumer goods trade and hardware trade. *The figure includes sales in the Baltic countries and Russia. Business in Russia has ended. Prisma and hotel business operations in Saint Petersburg were sold in June 2022.