Willys opens newly built store in Köping

On Thursday, 18 August at 8:00 am, Willys is to open a newly built store twice as big as the Willys store in Karlsdals Square, which was recently closed. The new Willys, located at Ringvägen 76 at the E18 exit to Köping, replaces the store in Karlsdals Square.

Comments Willys AB managing director Anders Strålman: ”With this new store, which is ideally suited to meet the needs of customers and staff alike, we can offer even better service and product offering.” The new Willys store enjoys a prime, well-trafficked location at the ”Ikanohuset” shopping centre on Ringvägen 76, at the E18 exit to Köping. The store has a retail area of 2,400 m². Store manager Peter Wignerhag adds: “Despite increasingly tough competition, we have successfully consolidated the number of customers we have. Our customers have high expectations of us and therefore it is very pleasing to be able to provide a greater and broader product offering – and a retail area more than double that of the old store.” Willys is today Sweden’s largest discount food chain, with a wide range of products and a special focus on fresh products such as fruits and vegetables, meats, and dairy products. The stores have an offering of some 7,500 items, covering 95% of consumers’ annual food purchases. Willys’ grocery prices are among the lowest in Sweden. The main factor behind the low prices is that the stores are run highly efficiently with low overhead. This efficiency is achieved, among other things, through purchases of large volumes by a central purchasing organization. With this new addition the Willys chain now includes 97 stores. The goal is to have 120 wholly owned stores by 2008. Axfood also has 45 Willys hemma stores, which is a chain of small discount stores. For further information, please contact: Anders Strålman, President, Willys AB, tel +46-708-37 88 37 Peter Wignerhag, store manager, Willys Köping, tel +46-702-12 91 02 Bodil Hornbäk, Public Relations, Willys AB, tel +46-702-99 50 29 Additional information: www.axfood.se and www.willys.se