Bon Preu Group

Grup Bon Preu is a Catalan retail and consumer-services group whose principal activities are food retailing, fuel distribution and electricity marketing. The company is based in Les Masies de Voltregà in Osona, Catalonia, and operates primarily within Catalonia rather than as a broadly international chain. Its retail network combines Bonpreu supermarkets, Esclat hypermarkets, smaller convenience-oriented formats and online collection or delivery services. The group also operates filling stations under the Esclatoil name and has developed supporting infrastructure for food processing, warehousing and distribution. The business began in 1974, when brothers Joan Font Fabregó and Josep Font Fabregó opened a self-service shop in Manlleu. Its first major format expansion came in 1988 with the opening of an Esclat hypermarket in Vilafranca del Penedès. This established the two principal identities that continue to define the group: Bonpreu for supermarket retailing and Esclat for larger-scale hypermarket operations. The company entered fuel retailing in 1995, opening its first filling station in Malla. Between 1998 and 2011, a medium-sized supermarket format initially known as Orangutan was developed and subsequently renamed Bonpreu, consolidating the group’s core grocery brand. Grup Bon Preu has expanded beyond storefront retail through logistics, food processing and digital services. In 2004 it opened a meat-processing plant and warehouse in Balenyà, with photovoltaic panels used to help power the facility. The site was expanded in 2007 with cold-storage capacity. That year the group also introduced Bonpreu Ràpid, a smaller convenience-oriented format intended for quicker shopping missions. In 2010, it acquired the Spanish stores of French retailer Intermarché, a transaction that strengthened its presence in the Spanish market and contributed to the subsequent development of its store network. The group’s offer is centered on everyday groceries, fresh food, household goods and selected local products. It has publicly emphasized support for local production, and from 2015 introduced kilometre-zero products across its stores. The company’s business scope also includes fuel through Esclatoil and electricity-related services, making it broader than a conventional supermarket operator. Its Catalan identity is prominent in its public positioning and customer communications. In 2008, the group joined the Si us plau, parla'm en català campaign, which promoted the social use of the Catalan language in commercial and public life. By 2017, the group reported a network of 123 Bonpreu supermarkets, 47 Esclat hypermarkets, three Iquodrive online delivery shops, 41 Esclatoil filling stations and eight ministores, with more than 6,000 employees. The same reference material reported 2016 turnover of €1.077 billion, investment of €103 million and net income of €36 million; these figures relate specifically to 2016 and are cited in the group’s Wikipedia article. The article also reports more than 200 stores and turnover of €2.5 billion in 2024. In 2021, the company announced plans for a second major logistics center at the Montblanc Intermodal Logistics Activities Center, indicating continued investment in distribution capacity. Grup Bon Preu remains a regionally focused, vertically integrated Catalan retail group combining food stores, hypermarkets, fuel, logistics and energy services.

Grup Bon Preu traces its origins to 1974, when Joan Font Fabregó and Josep Font Fabregó founded the business by opening a self-service shop in Manlleu, Catalonia. The company initially developed as a grocery retailer serving the Catalan market. Its first significant format milestone arrived in 1988, when it opened an Esclat hypermarket in Vilafranca del Penedès. The Esclat name became associated with larger stores, while Bonpreu developed as the group’s principal supermarket identity. The group diversified into fuel retailing in 1995, opening its first filling station in Malla. From 1998 through 2011, it operated a medium-sized supermarket format called Orangutan. That format was later renamed Bonpreu, helping bring the group’s supermarket network under a more unified brand architecture. In 2004, Bon Preu opened a meat-processing plant and warehouse in Balenyà. The facility incorporated photovoltaic panels, linking operational infrastructure with an early investment in on-site renewable energy. In 2007, the plant gained additional cold-storage capacity, while the group introduced Bonpreu Ràpid as a faster, smaller convenience format. Expansion continued through acquisition and network development. In 2010, Grup Bon Preu bought the Spanish stores of French retailer Intermarché. By 2017, the group was reported to have more than 6,000 employees and 221 stores, comprising Bonpreu supermarkets, Esclat hypermarkets, Iquodrive online shops, Esclatoil filling stations and ministores. This format mix reflected an effort to cover both planned weekly shopping and smaller, convenience-oriented purchases. The group has also promoted local sourcing. Beginning in 2015, it introduced kilometre-zero products throughout its stores, reinforcing its regional identity and relationship with local producers. Its cultural positioning is particularly visible in language policy: in August 2008, it joined the Si us plau, parla'm en català campaign, which encouraged the use of Catalan in social and commercial interactions. The company later received the III Martí Gasull i Roig Award in 2016 from Plataforma per la Llengua. In 2021, Bon Preu announced the construction of a second major logistics centre at the Montblanc Intermodal Logistics Activities Center. The planned facility represented a continued emphasis on logistics capacity as the retail network expanded. The group’s activities now extend across supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience retail, online grocery services, fuel stations, meat processing, warehousing and electricity services. According to the cited Wikipedia material, the group had more than 200 stores and reported €2.5 billion in turnover in 2024. The company remains primarily a Catalan operator rather than a multinational brand.

• 2021

  Second logistics centre announced

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Bon Preu announced plans for a second major logistics centre at the Montblanc Intermodal Logistics Activities Center.

• 2016

  Martí Gasull i Roig Award

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Plataforma per la Llengua presented the group with the III Martí Gasull i Roig Award.

• 2015

  Kilometre-zero products

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The company began introducing kilometre-zero products across its stores.

• 2010

  Intermarché acquisition

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group acquired Intermarché’s Spanish stores.

• 2007

  Cold-storage expansion and convenience format

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The Balenyà facility was expanded with cold storage, and Bonpreu Ràpid was introduced.

• 2004

  Meat-processing and warehouse facility

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Bon Preu opened a meat-processing plant and warehouse in Balenyà, supported in part by photovoltaic panels.

• 1995

  Entry into fuel retailing

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The first group filling station opened in Malla.

• 1988

  First Esclat hypermarket

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group opened its first Esclat hypermarket in Vilafranca del Penedès.

• 1974

  Founding in Manlleu

  [1]Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Joan Font Fabregó and Josep Font Fabregó founded the business and opened its first self-service store in Manlleu.

A Catalan, regionally focused food-retail group combining supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, fuel stations and energy services, with emphasis on local sourcing and Catalan-language identity.

• Supermarket

  Bonpreu

  Bonpreu is the group’s main supermarket format. It focuses on routine grocery shopping, fresh food, household products and locally sourced merchandise. The name was also used for the medium-sized stores formerly operated under the Orangutan format, bringing those locations into the group’s central supermarket identity.

• Hypermarket · 1988

  Esclat

  Esclat is Grup Bon Preu’s hypermarket brand, offering a broader assortment and larger shopping environment than the Bonpreu supermarket format. The first Esclat store opened in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1988, establishing a major pillar of the group’s retail network.

• Fuel retail · 1995

  Esclatoil

  Esclatoil is the group’s filling-station business. Fuel retailing became part of Grup Bon Preu in 1995, when the first station opened in Malla. The format extends the group’s consumer relationship beyond food shopping into mobility and fuel services.

• Convenience retail · 2007

  Bonpreu Ràpid

  Bonpreu Ràpid is a smaller, convenience-oriented store format introduced in 2007. It is designed for quicker shopping trips and complements the group’s larger supermarkets and hypermarkets.

• Online grocery

  Iquodrive

  Iquodrive represents the group’s online grocery collection or delivery-shop format. The 2017 network description identified three Iquodrive locations, showing that digital ordering and fulfillment formed part of the group’s retail model.

• Energy services

  Electricity services

  In addition to retail and fuel, Grup Bon Preu is described as operating in electricity marketing. The available reference material does not specify the precise product names, launch date or current customer proposition.

• 2008Si us plau, parla'm en català

  Catalonia

  Grup Bon Preu joined the Si us plau, parla'm en català campaign, a public and private initiative promoting the social use of Catalan, including in commercial interactions.

  Outcome. The group’s participation reinforced its Catalan-language and regional identity. The available source does not provide quantified campaign results.

  Source

• 2021

  Second major logistics centreStrategy

  Background

  Continued store-network development created a need for additional distribution and logistics capacity.

  Action taken

  The group announced construction of a second major logistics centre at the Montblanc Intermodal Logistics Activities Center.

  Aftermath

  The announcement indicated continued investment in supply-chain infrastructure, but the available source does not state the project’s completion date or cost.

  Source

• 2010

  Acquisition of Intermarché’s Spanish storesM&A

  Background

  Grup Bon Preu was expanding its grocery-retail footprint and acquired the Spanish stores operated by French group Intermarché.

  Action taken

  The company completed the acquisition of Intermarché’s Spanish store operations.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded the group’s store base in Spain. The available reference does not specify the purchase price or the exact number of locations acquired.

  Source

1. 1Bon Preu Groupen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Grup Bon Preu official websitebonpreuesclat.cat