In 2021, Continente Online, the leader in online food retail in Portugal, celebrated its 20th anniversary and launched its new e-commerce platform in June.

Thanks to its improved search system, the new Continente Online website provides an overall enhanced shopping experience through easy browsing. Customers can look up more than 30 thousand products and get tailored suggestions. Improvements were also made at the check-out stage.

Continente was the first European brand to open a store with no check-outs or product scanning.

Aimed at simplifying and improving Customer experience, Continente Labs is equipped with machine vision technology enabling Customers to enter the store, remove products from the shelf and exit the store without queuing at the cashier.

Wells launched a new wide-ranging health and beauty concept, with offerings in perfumery, make-up, cosmetics and professional hair care.

By way of an innovative and unique concept in the market, the new Wells stores bring together the best beauty brands in para-pharmacy, perfumery and luxury cosmetics, mainstream and professional brands.

With a total area of 70 thousand sqm, the Azambuja Distribution Centre is the largest food warehouse in Portugal. The expansion works were inaugurated by the President of the Portuguese Republic on October 14, 2021, creating more than 300 new jobs.

The new building was built to LEED Gold certification standards, providing the means to improve sustainability throughout the operation, avoiding the production of over 2,000 tons of CO₂ per year, by optimising transport routes and producing electricity at the Azambuja photovoltaic plant, which is one of the largest rooftop self-consumption plants on the Iberian Peninsula.

The project results from an overall investment of circa €50 million related to the expansion of the Azambuja and Maia warehouses.

Throughout the years, MC has developed several initiatives to promote a personal/professional life balance for its Associates.

In 2021 the Company pursued its efforts engaging in new initiatives such as «#PrecisamosFalar» (#weneedtoTalk), an awareness-raising initiative that provides the necessary tools to improve well-being. Other initiatives included a programme to promote weight management and tackle obesity and the «Better Together» app to improve communication between Associates.

The work developed was also recognized, in 2021, with an honourable mention in the category «Internal Communication: internal newsletter» in the «Meios & Publicidade» awards, as well as in the «Human Resources» awards, in the category «Talent Management» and «Best Management of the Pandemic in the People Management Perspective».

Via Elergone Energia, in March 2021, MC entered into a long-term agreement to purchase circa 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of renewable energy per year from Shell Energy Europe Limited.

This contract constitutes an important milestone towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, in line with the Sonae Group objectives. MC is fully aligned and committed to achieving 100% carbon-free operations within the next two decades, ten years before the EU, which aims to be climate-neutral by 2050.