Slovenian market leader Mercator has revealed its business plan for 2016, targeting revenue of 2.6 billion euros and a profit of 55.3 million euros. Mercator is yet to reveal its 2015 results, although the 2016 revenue target is 1.9% lower than that achieved in 2014.

'Positive GDP growth is expected in all markets', which should 'positively influence domestic consumption', while a drop in unemployment and an 'improvement of consumer expectations will lead to the anticipated positive growth of private spending'.

Mercator’s vision is to ‘be the largest, the most successful and the most efficient retailer in Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro’, enabled by this strategy. In Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro, growth will be driven by opening new stores. In Croatia, revenue is expected to drop due to store closures in the first half of 2015.

In 2016, Mercator has allocated 34 million euros for investment, most of which will go towards the refurbishment of Slovenian and Serbian stores. In 2015, the retailer planned to invest 99.5 million euros, with the majority of investment in the refurbishment of Slovenian stores.

The retailer will focus on renovating hypermarkets, supermarkets and neighbourhood stores, differentiating itself through a ‘quality offer of fresh products, competitive pricing, the most widespread store network, and the broadest offer of Slovenian products’, as well as ‘new technologies and services that allow faster shopping, leaving our customers with more of their valuable time and thus improving [the] shopping experience’. (www.igd.com)