Italian grocery retail market leader Conad has rolled out its new store format – Urban – in the Piazza Loreto area of Milan.
Taking the place of a Conad City store, the Spesa Facile outlet sits on 300 square-metre space, and features several novelties, targeted at the medium-high end of the market.
The delicatessen counter with sliced cold cuts has been replaced with a large self-service offer, while a bulk offer has been added to the packaged fruit and vegetables section.
Customers also have at their disposal cold meats, cheeses and take-away gastronomy and bread baked in store, in addition to selection of packaged bread and cakes.
'Win New Customers'
Speaking to Gdoweek, the head of the Conad City channel of Cia-Conad, Gianluca Abriani, explained that the intention is to “win new customers among those interested in quick shopping”.
The target audience includes 'urban-business customers who work in the offices in the neighbourhood and young people seeking a quick shopping experience', for which three fast checkouts have been added.
According to Abriani, the Urban pilot project could be exported to other areas of Milan and even to different cities, although “it will be essential to work on an assortment that can respond optimally to customers' needs".
The commercial offer of the Spesa Facile store is well-matched with that of the nearby Conad Supermercato, with both having the same pricing policy.
The Italian supermarket chain closed 2020 with a turnover of €15.9 billion, up 12.3% on the previous year, outperforming the marketplace (+5% average growth).
© 2021 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.
