A 90 percent growth in property sales, an increase in turnover of around 10%, to 35 million euros, and more units rented not only in the Algarve, but also in other parts of the country, are some of the numbers achieved by the Algarve business group Garvetur/Enolagest, in 2017.
The group's management team, which includes 41 companies, presented the balance of 2017 and projected the year 2018, at a meeting with the press. In both cases, the scenario is very positive, with the economic situation experienced by the country providing a great help.
In the year it celebrates 35 years, Garvetur/Enolagest points out as priorities “innovation and training of our employees”, according to Reinaldo Teixeira, general director of the group. This without losing sight of the business, of course, whose volume should grow «between 6% to 8%».
Reinaldo Teixeira believes that there are conditions for «sustained growth», taking into account «the consolidation of the changes introduced in the management and objectives of companies, in a positive context of the national economy and in particular of the tourist activity, whose cycle of investment and services is ours. companies cover in full'.
A good example of this good phase is the result achieved by Garvetur Properties, in the real estate sector. In 2017, this company almost doubled the number of properties sold and increased its turnover by about 50%, compared to 2016.
«The year 2017 was very good, we had a big increase», summarized Patrícia Brito, commercial director of Garvetur Properties.
According to the official, the French market was again in second place in sales, behind the Portuguese, but the presence, in the top 10 of nationality buyers, from markets such as Switzerland, Sweden, the United States of America and the Brazil.
Customers also arrived from other countries, namely "Germany, Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Russia, South Africa, Angola, Bulgaria, China, Spain, Indonesia, Italy, Peru and Ukraine", according to Garvetur.
In 2018, there is no prospect of growth in the same order as in 2017, although "consistent growth" is expected. Currently, the supply of properties for sale is starting to become scarce, so «construction is starting to relaunch». As for the typology of houses, «nowadays there is a great demand for the luxury sector», according to Patrícia Brito.
The Algarve group sold houses, through its subsidiary, but also leased them, through Garvetur Vacations & Turismo. Here, too, there was double-digit growth, in this case in occupation, which, according to Célia Teixeira, grew by «more than 10%».
This company has a portfolio of 680 accommodation units, most of which are in the Algarve, but also in Lisbon, Costa da Prata, Douro and Minho. Sales for Easter were already high and the perspective is for growth above 6%.
Another major investment of Garvetur/Enolagest is in the area of hotel services, namely in the industrial laundry Alvarsol, one of the Group's founders. In 2017, this company made a large investment, around half a million euros, in a state-of-the-art drying tunnel, with unique features in Portugal.
This allowed not only to increase the volume of laundry treated – last year, Alvarsol treated more than 3 million kilos of hotel linen and 200 kilos of uniforms – but also “to reduce the impact on clothing and the environment », according to Orlando Lopez, director of the company.
In 2018, Alvarsol will invest in the sale of «state-of-the-art chemicals with biodegradable properties» and in the «sale of machinery».
Reinaldo Teixeira also made a point of stressing the «very positive performance» of Visacar, the Garvetur/Enolagest Group's car rental and sales and tourist transport company. «In 2017, we sold 510 cars, transported 167 passengers in our shuttlecocks and we increased rentals by 10%. In 2018, we expect a growth between 9% and 12% in this company's turnover», he concluded.
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