FEU VERT Autocenter, a French auto assistance network, is to open in the Portimão Retail Park later this year.
The construction works are almost finished, although the opening date remains under wraps. The company opened an Autocenter two years ago near Aveiro in the north of Portugal, but failed to achieve an ambitious expansion plan for 30 Autocenters in the first year.
Feu Vert is owned by two French companies, CDC Capital Investissement (66 per cent) and Group Monnoyeur (34 per cent), but it was founded by Carrefour, the French retail group, in 1990.
The first Autocenter was opened in Valladolid and there are already 400 Feu Vert stores in Europe, 60 of which are in Spain.
Meanwhile, Autocenter, the largest car assistance group in Portugal, is negotiating with Portimão Câmara to open a new store in the area. It has been reported that it will be located near the Portimão Retail Park, competing closely with Feu Vert.
Autocenter already has two stores in Faro and is expecting to open the new Portimão store early next year.
The group’s expansion strategy includes the opening of an extra 20 stores in Portugal to add to the existing 40 stores. “For that, the group has just reached an agreement with an oil company operating in Portugal,” according to José Sousa, the sales and logistics director of Autocenter.
Sousa told The Resident the group is not planning to expand to the western Algarve for the time being, but “it all depends on the market”.
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