Hypermarket chain Bennet and cash and carry banner Multicash are set to join Italian retail distribution group Gruppo VéGé, commencing 1 January 2020.
Gruppo VéGé consists of 32 member companies, operating 3,416 stores across all formats, with a combined two million square metres of retail space.
Leading Hypermarket Player
Bennet is a leading player in the hypermarket and shopping mall sectors in northwest Italy, and will bring a network of 63 stores, boasting an average size of 4,500 square metres and employing 7,000 people, to the group. It also owns and operates 50 shopping centres, comprising 1,250 stores.
Bennet ended 2018 with a turnover of €1.6 billion, up 3% on the previous year, and is targeting €1.7 billion for 2019.
The group holds a market leadership position in the Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Liguria regions.
In recent years, the company has embarked on a strategy of modernising its sales network and developing new commercial formats focused on fresh and non-food products, as well as investing in e-commerce.
Cash & Carry
Elsewhere, Multicash is a leading player in the Cash & Carry channel in the Marche, Abruzzo and Molise regions.
The company operates six outlets with an average area of over 6,000 square meters, strategically located near the main motorway exits of the Adriatic coast.
It serves more than 25,000 customers a year, two thirds of whom are HoReCa operators.
With a turnover of €105 million in 2018, Multicash’s flagship project is the 'Click & Carry' service, which allows customers to place orders via tablet or smartphone. The goods are available at the collection point closest to the date and time selected or delivered directly to the business premises.
Gruppo VéGé has earmarked a turnover of €7.5 billion for the year, up from €6.5 billion last year. It is targeting €10 billion in turnover for 2020.
The company is a market leader in the Campania, Basilicata and Sicily regions and recorded its highest market share growth in Italy in the last four years. It currently holds 7% of the market.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
