Italian grocery retailer Crai is confident that the company will end 2017 with an increase in revenue compared to the previous year.
This forecast came from CEO Marco Bordoli, speaking at Il Sole 24 Ore's 11th annual Consumer & Retail Summit.
Bordoli pointed out that, at the end of August, growth amounted to 6% thanks to new store openings. Last year, the retailer achieved a 9% growth in turnover to €5.8 billion, and expects to exceed that result this year.
The CEO added that this will be achieved due to an increased local presence both in the food and pharmacy segments.
He also announced plans for the launch of an online channel, which he sees as a potential growth driver, but not the primary one.
New Platform
Meanwhile, Crai has inaugurated a new fruit and vegetable platform, consisting of a management centre that will centralise purchases, reports Largo Consumo magazine.
Based in Segrate, the new 2,000 square metre facility, in addition to improving the quality of deliveries, will complement the other 14 distribution centres for supplying the fruit and vegetable departments of Crai stores.
The platform will handle a wide assortment of fresh products, as well as dry fruits and vegetables.
Milan-based Crai has over 3,000 stores of different formats, including traditional grocery stores, supermarkets, cash and carry outlets, and specialised stores for home care products.
© 2017 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.
