Italy’s largest cooperative Coop Alleanza 3.0 has expanded its presence to the Calabria region by signing a master franchising agreement with leading regional grocery retailer AZ group.
Starting from February 22, the Coop Alleanza 3.0 banner will feature on all 34 hypermarkets and supermarkets of the AZ group, which have a total sales area of over 80,000 square metres.
The investment required for the banner change, interior fittings, and assortment will amount to €2 million. AZ will still be responsible for the management of the stores, which will include new elements of the internal environment in the style of Coop Alleanza 3.0.
Another novelty is the introduction of a large number of Coop private label products, equaling an average of about 1,500 per store in all sectors.
The agreement will offer Calabrian local producers new potentials in terms of visibility and market growth.
Customers also will be able to request the Coop Card, to gain access to promotions and benefits reserved for members.
For Coop, this is the first master franchise experience in Italy, i.e. a partnership with a major grocery chain, with its own shopping facilities and distribution centres.
Coop Alleanza 3.0 has over 2.5 million members in Italy and more than 400 stores in 12 regions.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up for ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
