Dia increased its net sales by 12.6% during the first nine months of this year, to 5,506.6 million euros, which confirms the group's entry into a new period of acceleration towards growth announced in August, as highlighted by the company.

Specifically, Spain registered a growth of 4.1% in its net sales, despite the fact that the store network has been reduced by 3.3% compared to the same period in 2021.

Portugal recorded, for its part, a decrease of 1.1% in its net sales, with a reduction of the network of stores of 6.2%.

Net sales in Argentina maintained an "exceptional" behavior (between January and September the effect of higher sales due to inflation is 20.7%) with an increase in the number of stores of 5.9%, while Brazil registered a growth of net sales of 11.7% despite the reduction in the number of stores by 18.0% and has benefited from the revaluation of the Brazilian real by 17.2% compared to the same period in 2021.

"Grupo Dia's net sales growth in the third quarter of the year has confirmed the turning point that we reached in August, confirming the fruits of the redirection of the business that began in 2019 and opening a new phase of acceleration towards growth This has been achieved in the challenging context in which the exercise is being carried out thanks to clear guidance and a dedicated and committed team", highlighted the CEO of Grupo Dia, Martin Tolcachir.

Likewise, gross sales under the group's banner increased by 2.4% in the first nine months of the year, to 6,535.3 million euros, with a rise of 4.8% in Spain, to 3,913 million euros.

Dia has highlighted that the growth is based on its new value proposition for the client, "fully deployed" in Spain and Argentina.

Since the beginning of the transformation process, 1,452 stores have already been remodeled in Spain and 44 openings have been carried out, which represents 78% of local stores, of which 69% are managed by franchisees.

For its part, Argentina has already renovated 375 stores and has made 85 openings, which represents 48% of its park under the new model and 73% of its network is managed by franchisees.

COMPARABLE SALES GROW.

Likewise, up to the month of September, comparable 'Like-for-Like' sales have been positive in all markets, with a "strong" improvement in Spain and Argentina (5.9% and 3.7%, respectively, highlighting 12.8% in Spain in the third quarter of the year) consolidating its change of stage and a "good performance" in Brazil and Portugal (7.1% and 2.3%, respectively).

Specifically, comparable sales 'Like-for-Like' grew by 9.9% in the third quarter, reaching net sales of 5,500 million euros in the first nine months of the year.

Of the 5,720 stores of the group at the end of the third quarter of the year, the company has 2,068 stores that operate under the new model and that represent 53.5% of its proximity network at the group level.

By country, Spain has 1,496 stores operating under the new model; Argentina has 460 and Portugal 112, "all presenting positive and sustainable returns in a challenging environment."

In addition, according to Dia, the number of tickets continues to rise, with growth of 6.6% in the first nine months of the year at the group level, compared to a 1.3% reduction in the amount of the average basket.

In the third quarter of the year, the number of tickets has grown by 8.4%, which confirms "the goodness of the proximity model that is the focus of the group's strategy".

Between January and September, the weight of the own brand in the basket increased to 51.8% in Spain, compared to 47.7% in the same period of the previous year, a fact that, according to the company, guarantees "the good acceptance of the New Dia Quality and the perception of the Dia brand as modern, of quality and at affordable prices".

ADVANCE ON YOUR ROADMAP

Looking ahead to the last quarter of the year, the group's CEO has highlighted that the company will continue to make progress on its roadmap.

"We are confident in the direction of our business model, since the increase in the number of tickets and the weight of the Dia brand highlights that our essence, proximity, is the appropriate strategic lever also in an environment such as the current one", has stated.

"Aware of this, we work every day to advance our business objectives, attentive to the environment in order to be able to respond quickly to the changes that occur. Our focus in this new phase is on accelerating the growth of the company, which will be reflected in the The teams are already working to consolidate the progress made in this business redirection process with a renewed strategy that does not lose sight of our essence, proximity, and our purpose: to be closer every day so that we all have the quality we deserve within our reach", he added.