Italian supermarket chain Esselunga is planning to open its first superstore in Rome in the autumn of 2016.
It will be the retailer’s second store in Italy’s Lazio region, after the opening of that in Aprilia two years ago.
The company currently operates 152 superstores and supermarkets in Lombardy, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont, Liguria and Lazio.
Last year it opened five new stores ( in Milan, Rozzano, Casale Monferrato, Sesto Calende and Soliera), as well as renovating and enlarging three more.
Esselunga outperformed the market in 2015, with sales growing by 4.3 per cent to €7.3 billion (above the market average of 2.8 per cent). Net profit was up 37 per cent to €290 million, while investments totalled €400 million.
According to Esselunga, the price-containment policy, despite facing an increase in suppliers’ costs, was rewarded with a 5 per cent rise in the customer base, also driven by the numerous promotional offers.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.