The number of food retail stores in Italy has grown by 33 per cent in ten years, although food consumption has dropped by 10 per cent in the same period, according to the Coop Report 2016.
In 2015, the total size of the sales area grew by 109,000 square metres (+0.6%), after a decrease in the two previous years. However, the retail network has been reduced by 591 units (mainly smaller stores and in the south of the country).
Superstores are the only format with a stable growth in productivity in recent years, with sales of €8.400 per squite metre in 2015.
The Italian food retail market is one of the most competitive in Europe, as the top five players only have a 52 per cent share, compared to 62 per cent in Spain, 73 per cent in France, 68 per cent in Germany and 76 per cent in the UK.
Discount stores are the only format to see a growth in market share to 16 per cent (from 15% in 2014), more than double that of hypermarkets (7%).
© 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.
