Plaisio has invested €1 million in its new store at IKEA Airport, which is also the company's largest store. Kostas Gerardos, the company's CEO, claimed that this location is an example of the "new store identity" that the Ioannina store is piloting and has several experience points as well as a retail identity. "The store, which employs 40 people, covers the eastern suburbs and also catches the southern axis. We expect significant sales volume," he noted.

GROWTH PLAN IN THE TRIENNIUM

Speaking to BnB Daily, he said the plan to grow the network in the three-year period is for a total of 10 stores, of which:

2 have already opened (in Ioannina and Airport)
4 have found locations and signed agreements
4 are in the planning stage

The expansion of the network mainly concerns the province and Athens. Mr. Gerardos stressed that although Plaisio has covered Attica with the new additions, it does not have a footprint in key areas of the country, such as Rhodes, Kalamata, Xanthi and others. "There are at least 10 cities in which we don't have a presence," he said, explaining, however, that the concept at IKEA Airport, a store adjacent to other retailers, is unlikely to be replicated outside Athens.

THIS YEAR'S MARCH

In the ten-month period, the company is growing positively and according to Gerardo, Plaisio will close the fiscal year slightly up. However, profitability is expected to be relatively down due to investments in network and e-commerce and increased energy costs. Specifically, Gerardos said that the company is implementing a fourfold transformation, which includes:

• Logistics with new facilities and robotic software, amounting to €30 million over three years.
• Hardware installation
• Robotic software for logistics
• Software for ERP

He added that the company is changing its e-commerce platform, which will come out in late 2025, which doubles costs as, in addition to the investment for the new platform, the company is also paying for the existing infrastructure.