 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Grocery) |
| Founded | 1939; 87 years ago (1939) |
| Headquarters | Athens,Greece |
Number of locations | 500 (2019)[1] |
Key people | Gerasimos Vasilopoulos Haralambos Vassilopoulos Haralambos Poriazis (Founders) |
| Products | Groceries, consumer goods |
| Revenue | €3.74 billion (2014) |
| €311 million (2014) | |
| €263 million (2014) | |
Number of employees | 14,586 (2014) |
| Parent | Ahold Delhaize |
| Website | http://www.ab.gr/ |
Alfa-Beta Vassilopoulos (Άλφα-Βήτα Βασιλόπουλος) or simplyAB is a supermarket chain based inGreece owned by Dutch multinationalAhold Delhaize.[2]
The company was established in 1939 inAthens,Greece, when brothers Gerasimos and Haralambos Vassilopoulos opened a smallgrocery shop, on Voulis Street, in downtownAthens. A few years later, they opened a second, larger shop onStadiou Street, in Athens.
In 1969, Alfa-Beta Vassilopoulos S.A. was formed by Gerasimos & Haralambos Vasilopoulos and Haralambos Poriazis.
In 1970, the first 'real'supermarket was established in the Faros area ofPsychiko, Athens. By 1989, AB had opened nine supermarkets in the greater Athens area.
In 1991, AB was listed on theAthens Stock Exchange. In the same year, the first AB MEGA supermarket was opened, in the area ofHellinikon, close to the old AthensHellinikon International Airport.
In 1992, a new AB MEGA was built on theAthens-Lamiahighway. In the meanwhile, AB was acquired by theBelgian retail company "Delhaize Group" (merged withAhold to formAhold Delhaize in 2015). In 1994, AB was the first supermarket company in Greece to introduce thebarcode system at its cashiers.
Between 1995 and 1998, AB opened a large warehouse, inMandra,Attica and in 2009 a larger one for fresh and perishables, in Oinofyta, Voiotia.
By 2000, AB had 53 shops in 11 cities in Greece. On 16 October 2000, AB acquired the TROFO and ENA Cash-and-Carry supermarket chains. In 2009, ΑΒ acquired the retail chain Κoryfi, enhancing both its network by 10 stores and its presence in Thrace.
