Following the expansion project of the brand worldwide, the Alain Afflelou group will open 12 new stores on national soil. In conversation with Nuno Vieira, Expansion Manager in Portugal, we are aware of the latest plans of the French-based company.
ÓpticaPro: How did your involvement start with the Alain Afflelou group?
Nuno Vieira: It started with a proposal in early 2017 to take over the expansion department. I studied the proposal, I immediately believed in the project and it is with great pleasure that I am here.
OP: What developments are busy being planned regarding the presence of the brand in Portugal?
NV: Although Alain Afflelou has branches, it is fundamentally a franchising company. We are going to invest heavily on expanding, where we already started to see results of the changes and improvements made in 2017. We were able to reduce the value of the initial investment and increase the profitability of the stores. A number of incentives are also underway, which will subsequently be made available to current and future franchisees.
OP: In Spain it was recently reported that Alain Afflelou will open 15 new stores in 2018. Does the expansion project also include the opening of new stores in Portugal this year?
NV: Yes; in relation to what happens in other countries, we want to grow and we will continue to grow. We opened three stores at the end of last year and we have scheduled 12 openings for the year 2018.
