Interviews Archives

MAREK ZLAKOWSKI AND FRANCISCO D'ALMEIDA

Biedronka and Pingo Doce

Marek Zlakowski and Francisco d’Almeida are responsible for the new Retail Media business area at Biedronka and Pingo Doce, respectively, and share with Feed the main challenges and opportunities behind the Group’s latest strategic decision.

Pedro Soares dos Santos

Chairman and CEO of Jerónimo Martins

Pedro Soares dos Santos takes on the importance of leadership anchored on solid values.

NUNO BEGONHA

CEO OF RECHEIO

What’s the best way to celebrate Recheio Cash & Carry’s 50th anniversary in 2022? Opening two new stores in Portugal: a brand new Recheio in Cascais (Lisbon outskirts) with a pioneering concept that combines sustainability and convenience, and the 500th Amanhecer in Barcelos (northern Portugal).

PEDRO LEANDRO

CEO OF ARA

Facing difficult urban mobility and high levels of poverty in Colombia, which worsened in 2022, Ara’s three main pillars are price, proximity and assortment. Struggling with hard times, Colombian families find their best ally to put food on the table in Ara.

ISABEL FERREIRA PINTO

CEO OF PINGO DOCE

Strong sense of social awareness. The mission of the “champion of low prices” Pingo Doce towards the Portuguese became even more vital in the 2022 difficult situation, without skimping on quality, variety and innovation.

PEDRO VELOSO

DEPUTY CEO AT SOCIEDADE FRANCISCO MANUEL DOS SANTOS (SFMS)

30 years ago, the failure of white label products caused the industrial suppliers to be reluctant to risk a new project. Convincing them of the potential of private brand products was hard. For Pedro Veloso, a new market positioning based on quality and a careful developed image were crucial.

FRANCISCO SOARES DOS SANTOS

CEO OF JMRS

When the Pingo Doce Private Brand was launched, “the goal was to have products of the same quality as those of the market leader, but cheaper”. Francisco Soares dos Santos reflects upon the legacy of the first Private Brand products and the role they have played into the supermarket chain’s growth.

MARÍA ÁNGELA HOLGUÍN

FORMER MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF COLOMBIA AND JERÓNIMO MARTINS BOARD MEMBER

Colombia’s peace agreement earned global applause and a Nobel Peace Prize for the then president, Juan Manuel Santos. A third of the way into the deal’s 15-year time frame, María Ángela Holguín, former government minister of Foreign Affairs, reflects upon its progress.

PAULO FARINHA MARQUES

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT / ASSOCIATE LECTURER IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AT THE FACULTY OF SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

For landscape architect and university professor Paulo Farinha Marques, the landscape is the visual expression of the Mediterranean diet. The researcher compares the erosion of this knowledge to the extinction of a species.

ALEJANDRO SANTOS

ASSISTANT LECTURER/RESEARCHER AT THE FACULTY OF NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

One of the key features of the Mediterranean diet is its frugality. People have to adjust what they eat to what they really need. Alejandro Santos, researcher and lecturer in nutrition, explains how we can benefit from the many upsides of the Mediterranean diet.

PEDRO GRAÇA

DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

Pedro Graça is committed to helping improve nutrition and health in Portugal. The researcher tells us about the Mediterranean diet’s ability to create a culture around the table and its potential for protecting us against infectious diseases.

Black and white portrait of Lukasz Grass

ŁUKASZ GRASS

AUTHOR OF “UNITED BY BIEDRONKA. THE HISTORY OF THE LARGEST RETAIL CHAIN IN POLAND”

Biedronka turns 25 and the anniversary was highlighted with a book on the history of the largest retail company in Poland. The author, journalist Łukasz Grass, takes us behind the scenes in this interview conducted by Biedronka’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Arkadiusz Mierzwa.

NUNO CRATO

Researcher and a professor at the ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management, University of Lisbon

Can life be explained through mathematics? Is the universe entirely mathematical? And what is the best way to learn this subject? Renowned researcher and full professor Nuno Crato shares his particular vision on these intricate mysteries.

WALDEMAR SZAJKO

VICE-PRESIDENT, DISTRICT DAIRY COOPERATIVE, OSM SIEDLCE

In this difficult time, Biedronka invited small producers struggling to ensure the sustainability of their businesses to put their products on the shelves of the company stores. The campaign targeted those who had so far operated on the regional market.

Pedro Simas

Virologist, group leader at the Portuguese Molecular Medicine Institute (Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes)

Viruses transmit between species, a phenomenon increasingly frequent due to human invasion of many habitats. That is the case of SARS-CoV-2, explains Pedro Simas, virologist, which adapted extremely well to a host whose population is of nearly 8 billion people.