Sklavenitis is quietly building a major food business around ready meals, as the category now brings in just over 60 million euros in annual revenue, giving the Greek retailer enough scale to justify a 100 million euro investment in what it says will be Europe’s largest ready-food production facility.
That is still a small share of the group’s overall sales, but it is large enough to signal a serious strategic shift. Rather than treating ready meals as a side offering, Sklavenitis is turning the category into a standalone business with production, retail and export ambitions.
A fast-growing category
The ready-meal business currently represents a little more than 1% of sales at major supermarket chains operating in the category. At Sklavenitis, the offer already includes 41 different dishes
The clear leader is roast chicken, which also dominates the wider supermarket market, with daily sales reportedly exceeding 40,000 units. Products are ranging from chicken and fish to legumes, vegetable dishes, pasta, moussaka, soups and vegan options.
Food to Go expands
Sklavenitis is also testing a separate retail concept called Food to Go, built around individual portions and an assortment of roughly 300 products. The format includes ready meals, salads, sandwiches, desserts and drinks, with store size determining how broad the selection is.
The first pilot opened in Syntagma on March 26, followed by stores in Ampelokipoi and Marousi. By the end of June, three to five more locations are expected, with the longer-term goal of reaching 15 stores by the end of 2026.
The Magoula bet
The key industrial piece is a new facility in Magoula, a project worth about 100 million euros that should be completed by the end of 2026. It will have the capacity to produce up to 250,000 portions a day and is expected to create 300 jobs.
The plant will be operated through Avra Meal Production, part of the Glaros group, and will support Sklavenitis’ supermarkets, the Food to Go network and export plans. In practice, that gives the retailer control over the full chain, from production and packaging to retail and international distribution.
