The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has authorised the purchase of regional supermarket chain Superconti by Italian cooperative and retailer Coop Centro Italia (CCI) .
The antitrust launched its investigation in mid-February to establish whether there was a possible abuse of a dominant position in the provinces of Terni and Viterbo, as a result of the operation.
In its conclusions, the Authority stated that the operation in question “is not likely to cause unilateral or coordinated effects such as to eliminate or substantially and lastingly reduce competition in the relevant markets”.
According to the Authority’s report, the leading national retailer is Coop, with a 14.3-per-cent market share, followed by Conad (12 per cent), Selex (9.6 per cent), Esselunga (8.9 per cent), Auchan (6.6 per cent), Carrefour (6.0 per cent), Eurospin (5.1 per cent), Sigma (3.6 per cent) and PAM (3.1 per cent). For its part, the Superconti group has a national share of less than 1 per cent.
CCI is present in the retail sector through its affiliate, Mini Market Coop (MMC), with 69 sales points, comprised of 49 supermarkets, three hypermarkets and 17 small stores located in the provinces of Arezzo, Siena, Perugia, Terni, Rieti and L’Aquila. The company’s overall turnover was €573 million in 2013.
The Superconti Group consists of three companies owned by the Conti and Antognoli families, whose 2013 turnover amounted to €142 million. The group operates 32 sales points, supermarkets and small stores, all located in the provinces of Perugia, Terni, Rieti, Viterbo, Rome and Macerata.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic.
