Retail News CRM

Tag: greece

  • Yutong Deploys 50 Electric Articulated Buses in Thessaloniki

    Yutong Deploys 50 Electric Articulated Buses in Thessaloniki

    Chinese commercial vehicle maker Yutong delivered 50 electric articulated buses to Thessaloniki, expanding the Greek city’s battery-powered transit fleet to roughly 160 vehicles. The 18-meter units entered commercial service across four municipal routes at the start of September.

    City transit agency OASTH hired 170 drivers to run the expanded schedule and increase trip frequencies across western Thessaloniki routes X1, 12, 27 and 32. Each vehicle carries up to 130 passengers and delivers an operating range of 300 kilometres on a single charge.

    Fleet Specifications and Route Coverage

    The buses feature air conditioning, ventilation units and tilt-and-turn passenger windows. Authorities did not release the exact model name, though the technical footprint points to Yutong’s U18 platform, which carries battery packs between 528 and 704 kilowatt-hours.

    Operating these articulated models across western routes targets heavy commuter corridors that link residential districts with commercial hubs. Deploying high-capacity zero-emission buses on fixed schedules allows municipal operators to cut fuel bills while meeting European urban emissions mandates.

    Chinese Bus Exports Push into Southern Europe

    For Chinese automotive exporters, fleet procurement contracts across Southern Europe provide steady volume outside domestic assembly markets. Yutong and its domestic competitors continue to win municipal tenders by bundling high battery capacities with prompt delivery timelines that European legacy coachbuilders struggle to match.

    The risk for Chinese suppliers sits in political scrutiny over European Union transit procurement and long-term depot maintenance. Winning tenders requires solid local aftersales partnerships, spare parts distribution hubs and dedicated charging support to avoid costly downtime for municipal operators.

    Expansion Following 2024 Joint Tender

    This deployment builds on an earlier procurement round in 2024, when transport authorities in Athens and Thessaloniki jointly bought 250 electric buses from Yutong. That delivery formed the core of Greece’s state-backed plan to replace ageing diesel fleets in its two largest metropolitan areas.

    OASTH plans to introduce additional routes and increase departure frequencies as the 170 newly recruited drivers complete route training during the winter timetable.

  • Singapore’s Supergreek fast-casual concept opens

    Singapore’s Supergreek fast-casual concept opens

    Singapore’s first Greek fast-casual concept, Supergreek, has opened at Raffles City.

    Supergreek’s menu features a wide selection of healthy Greek dishes, including the popular Geek street food Souvlaki and homemade authentic Geek yogurt.

    “At Supergreek, we follow traditional Greek cuisine which is predominantly plant-based, and focused on lean meats, seafood and heart-healthy olive oil that is also fresh,” says Cheng Hsin Yao, owner and founder of Supergreek.

    He says he wants Supergreek to demonstrate that the cuisine has healthy, nutritious qualities.

    Located in the basement of Raffles City, Supergeek features a predominantly white-and-blue interior, inspired by Greece’s national flag.

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  • SPAR to establish largest cooperative food retail chain in Greece

    SPAR to establish largest cooperative food retail chain in Greece

    SPAR Hellas has announced its entry into the Greek market with the ambition to create and operate the largest food retail chain of independent retailers in the country. It will be part of SPAR International, the world’s largest food retail chain with over 12,500 stores in 44 countries and overall sales of up to €33.1 billion. SPAR Hellas plans to develop more than 350 SPAR stores nationwide over the next four years. The stores will offer up to 1,400 SPAR Own Brand products, with many sourced from Greek producers and suppliers.

    A strategic cooperation between SPAR Hellas and the ASTERAS association will develop SPAR’s retail presence in Greece. Within the next 3 years, ASTERAS will convert most of its existing 200-store network to the SPAR Brand. To build its capabilities and resources further, ASTERAS has entered into a joint co-operation with the MESIS association, which leads to a group with more than 500 stores across Greece and a reported €700 million in sales.

    The first 10 SPAR stores are due to launch in Greece by July and SPAR Hellas aims to operate a total of 80 stores by the end of 2018. The SPAR network in Greece will grow both by the conversion of ASTERAS and MESIS stores and by SPAR Hellas operating new, company-owned stores.

    In addition to its global, dynamic brand, SPAR International offers licensed partners comprehensive support including store development, private label ranges, staff education and skills development, high-end supply chain distribution and the design and implementation of locally focused marketing campaigns. Access to international best practice and the local expertise of the team at SPAR Hellas will ensure a full set of services and benefits for all licensed partners, helping them grow their business in a competitive retail environment.

    Speaking about the strategic new initiative, Mr. Fivos Karakitsos, CEO of SPAR Hellas said: “SPAR is establishing in Greece in order to develop the most modern cooperative network of independent retail stores in the country. The combination of Greek retailers’ excellent local knowledge with SPAR’s international best practice and global brand will result in innovative store layouts for the customer, excellent fresh products, a wide range of private label products and value for money. High-levels of customer service will be delivered through continuous staff training programs. SPAR Partners will build on their traditional roots, creating a strong family focused business which is unique in the Greek market. SPAR Hellas in turn, consists of a well-regarded team from the areas of sales, marketing, operation and supply, something that guarantees the highest level of support for the retail network. Our vision is that SPAR will become one of the strongest Greek retail players in the market and we are excited to play our part in strengthening the Greek economy.”

    Mr. Tobias Wasmuht, SPAR International’s CEO said: “We are delighted to welcome SPAR Hellas to our network of partners all over the world. SPAR was founded on the principle of ‘Better Together’. Uniting the shared resources and expertise of ASTERAS and MESIS under the internationally recognized SPAR Brand will benefit all three parties. The Greek retail market is competitive, but SPAR will act as a dynamic force, bringing quality, fresh produce, value and an excellent retail experience for our customers. I am confident that SPAR will create growth opportunities for independent retailers and Greek producers and suppliers and bolster the growth of the Greek economy.”

    Mr. Georgios Vogiatzakis, Development Consultant at SPAR Hellas said: “Supplying local, Greek products in SPAR’s network is a key part of our business strategy. We recognize our responsibility to encourage Greek production and we will continuously strengthen both local production and thereby the economy. The private label products will gradually be produced in our country and we will offer quality producers the opportunity to access the SPAR network. We will open SPAR stores throughout Greece and will harness the power and expertise of the SPAR Brand to grow the business.”

    Mr. George Papantonis the president of group ASTERAS said “The cooperation with SPAR sets a totally new trajectory for ASTERAS but also for the market. With the increased cooperation through partnerships like the one with MESIS, we can achieve the union of the convenience business for Greece under the brand of SPAR. Our target is that by the year 2021 ASTERAS will report more than 1.20 billion euro in sales and a market share that will be well over than 12% in total.”

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  • Asia shares fall led by Shanghai as investors eye safety ahead of Greece

    Asia shares fall led by Shanghai as investors eye safety ahead of Greece

    Shares in Shanghai slumped on Friday, leading other Asian markets lower as investors headed for safety ahead of a weekend referendum that could decide whether Greece stays in the euro zone that is now too close to call.

    The Shanghai Composite fell 5.57% before the break, while the Hang Seng index eased 0.55% and the S&P/ASX 200 was down 1.78%. The Nikkei 225 was down 0.44%.

    Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday urged Greeks to reject an international bailout deal in a referendum due to be held on July 5, souring hopes of any breakthrough.

    Less than 24 hours before, Tsipras had written a conciliatory letter to creditors asking for a new bailout that would accept many of their terms.

    On Wednesday Greece became the first developed country to default on the International Monetary Fund after its second bailout program expired late Tuesday. The IMF confirmed that the Greek government failed to make a scheduled €1.6 billion loan repayment.

    In Australia, May retail sales data showed a 0.3% increase month-on-month, below a forecast for retail sales up 0.5% month-on-month.

    Earlier in Australia, the June AIGroup services index rose 1.6 points to 51.2.

    “The improvement in services-industry conditions so far this year has been concentrated in consumer services,” AI Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said.

    “Increased housing-market activity and very low interest rates are now assisting retail and personal and recreational services – although consumer-confidence and household-income growth are still below par. For the more business-oriented services subsectors weak business confidence, an uncertain outlook and low private and public investment are still weighing on demand across a range of design, consulting, personnel and administrative services.”

    U.S. markets are shut on Friday.

    Overnight, U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Financials, Healthcare and Basic Materials sectors led shares lower.

    At the close in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.16%, while the S&P 500 index declined 0.03%, and the NASDAQ Composite index declined 0.08%.

    The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:NASDAQ:INTC), which rose 1.24% or 0.38 points to trade at 30.55 at the close. Meanwhile, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:NYSE:XOM) added 0.93% or 0.77 points to end at 83.14 and Visa Inc (NYSE:NYSE:V) was up 0.57% or 0.39 points to 68.24 in late trade.

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