Jeronimo Martins' 2023 sales hit record over 30 billion euros

LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese retailer Jeronimo Martins on Thursday posted a 21% jump in full-year sales, driven by a robust increase at its market-leading Polish chain, Biedronka.

According to preliminary data, revenues rose to 30.6 billion euros ($33.49 billion). Revenues at the discount chain Biedronka rose 22% to 21.5 billion euros.

In a statement, Chief Executive Pedro Soares dos Santos said surpassing the 30 billion-euro total sales mark was an important milestone for the company, adding that "maintaining the sales' dynamic will remain a priority for all our companies" in 2024 in a particularly uncertain international context.

At home, sales at its Pingo Doce supermarkets rose 7.9% to 4.9 billion euros, while in Colombia, its expanding Ara chain booked 2.4 billion euros, up 37.7% from a year earlier.

Preliminary sales in the last quarter of 2023 rose 16.7% to 8.2 billion euros.

The company will post its consolidated results on March 6.

($1 = 0.9136 euros)

(Reporting by Patrícia Vicente Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip)