The supermarket chain Billa is opening Saturday its 20th store in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, the company announced.

Billa, which is owned by German concern REWE Group, currently operates 84 outlets in Bulgaria.

The new store is located in the very heart of the capital's downtown, on 116 "Rakovski" street, near the "Slaveykov" square.

Despite being smaller than the Billa supermarkets in the suburbs, of the so-called compact type, the store will offer a variety of merchandise, including produce, meat, and freshly baked bread and pastries.

Billa is considered one of the most successful foreign investors in Bulgaria, and a large-scale employer, providing work for over 4 000 Bulgarians. The company is also involved in charitable work – just this week it donated BGN 50 000 to the Association "SOS Children Villages Bulgaria."

Capitalising on the rising demand for discounted products, Rewe recently launched it's Penny Markt discount stores in Bulgaria.

Total investment into the country over the 2010-2014 period is reported to be as much as EUR 250 M.