Bulgaria's Varna-based supermarket operator Piccadilly said it will open 20 corner shops in the Bulgarian capital Sofia by the end of 2009. The first two stores under the Piccadilly Express brand have already launched operations, and a third one is due to open by end-February.

The new retail chain will be expanded to 40-50 shops, the bulk of them set to appear in Bulgaria's larger cities and towns.

The operator will also go ahead with plans to open hypermarkets of over 12 000 sq m under the brand Piccadilly Extra. A further 20 supermarkets in the 2000-4000 sq m range will be added to the chain's current network of 17 stores across the country.

Piccadilly, owned since 2007 by Serbia's Delta Max Group, is one Bulgaria's biggest supermarket chains and has long dominated the market in the city of Varna, embarking on a nationwide expansion campaign after the ownership change and competing directly with Germany retailer Metro, Austria' sBilla and discount chains Kaufland and T-market.

Source: Dnevnik