Carrefour Italia has reported 2022 sales of €4.4 billion, with like-for-like sales growing 4.2%.
The final quarter of 2022 was the sixth consecutive quarter in which the business, which is part of France's Carrefour Group, saw growth in profit margins, despite significant increases in energy costs and the impact of inflation.
Italian Product Sales
The value of Italian products sold in Carrefour stores worldwide increased by 40%, from €800 million in 2021 to €1.1 billion last year, it noted.
The most popular Italian products are fruit and vegetables (which sell particularly well in France, Belgium, Poland, Romania and Dubai), as well as wines and products sold under the Terre d'Italia brand, the group said.
Elsewhere, the strategy of relaunching and reorganising the sales network continues, with the divestment of low-profitability businesses.
Read More: 5 Key Takeaways From Carrefour’s 2022 Full-Year Results
Store Count
Last year, Carrefour Italia’s network surpassed 1,500 stores in 19 regions, thanks to the expansion of its franchising model, with the opening of 83 new franchised stores, taking the total to 1,200.
At the same time, Carrefour Italia continues with the transformation of its hypermarket and Carrefour Market store formats into the Maxi convenience concept, a project that should be fully completed by 2024.
Private-Label Expansion
Private label accounted for over 30% of products sold in the food segment, while 180 new SKUs were launched, mainly under the Simpl brand, a line of everyday products with prices aligned with those of discount stores.
This year, the retailer plans to introduce more than 300 new SKUs, including fruit and vegetables, fish, cold cuts, and cheeses, across all price ranges and with a major focus on the Filiera Qualità Carrefour.
Last year, Carrefour Italia continued growing its e-commerce operations, partly thanks to expanding existing agreements with grocery home delivery apps, including Deliveroo, Glovo and others.
Carrefour was the first large-scale retailer in Italy to enter the quick commerce market in 2022 with the Carrefour by Deliveroo Hop service, with grocery delivery in 10 minutes in Milan and Rome.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
