Italian supermarket chain Crai plans to open 215 new stores by the end of 2020, which will help the business to keep up the growth achieved during the COVID-19 period, it said.
For CEO Marco Bordoli, growth during 2020 will be driven by changes in retail patterns, such as the adoption of proximity stores, while he expects moderate revenue growth in 2021, reports Gdonews.
Turnover Growth
Crai achieved a consolidated turnover of around €6 billion from its 3,100 stores in 2019, two-thirds of which are food stores and the remaining are specialised in personal and home care products.
Last year, the retailer opened 148 food stores and 80 specialised stores.
At the end of the first half of 2020, Crai's performance was 12% higher than the market average and 19% higher in the food retail segment.
Since March, according to Bordoli, Crai achieved the highest turnover growth (+15.2% like-for-like compared to +3.1% for the market) and achieved 22% growth in its food segment (+3.2% for the overall market).
Crai Spesa Online
As a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, Crai’s e-commerce service Crai Spesa Online has seen a tenfold increase in turnover, albeit from a low base.
More than 180 Crai stores now offer the 'Crai Spesa Online' service, which should account for about €8 million in sales by the end of 2020.
Bordoli is confident that the positive trend will continue in the coming years as a result of increased consumption and the number of stores that will offer the service.
For 2021, the plan is to extend the e-commerce service to 250 outlets and also expand the delivery range, the time slots for home delivery and direct pick-up at the point of sale.
Private label accounts for around 18% of Crai’s sales, with peaks of 28% in some regions. The retailer is planning to increase this share and shift the focus towards higher value products, especially organic, healthy and convenience products, it added.
Its Piaceri Italiani premium private label brand will be updated, with the introduction of more product references and changes to packaging.
© 2020 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
