| Pingo Doce - Distribuição Alimentar, S.A. | |
| Type: | Private, SA |
| Foundation: | (1980) |
| Founder: | Ana Carriço |
| Location City: | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Area Served: | Portugal |
| Industry: | Retail |
| Products: | Supermarkets |
Pingo Doce (Sweet Drop in English) is one of the largest supermarket operators in Portugal, with 482 stores as of 2023 (just behind Continente which is the largest food retailer in the country[1]).[2]
It belongs to the Portuguese company Jerónimo Martins and the Dutch-based Ahold Delhaize. Since 1992, Pingo Doce has been operated as a joint venture by Jerónimo Martins, in which it holds 51% and the Dutch retail chain Ahold Delhaize 49%.[3] In the 1990s, Jerónimo Martins acquired Brazilian supermarket chain Sé Supermercados, which became the Brazilian equivalent to Pingo Doce. In Poland, since 1997 the group has established Biedronka, the country's largest food retail chain. In the early 2000s, Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição / Grupo Pão de Açúcar, bought out Sé, rebranding its stores as Pão de Açúcar and CompreBem.[4]
Since 2008, the chain uses its current logo, repositioned itself in the market, merged the Feira Nova supermarkets and hypermarkets into the Pingo Doce brand and has done aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns in order to maintain its position.[5] The Jerónimo Martins Group began establishing local businesses in Colombia in March 2013 through Ara.[6] From 2008 to 2010, Pingo Doce took over the Feira Nova brand.[7] In 2021, Pingo Doce popularized the slogan "Quem trouxe, quem trouxe? Foi o Pingo Doce!" (Who brought [it]? Who brought [it]? It was Sweet Drop!) with a catchy Christmas jingle.[8]