Italian retail cooperative and purchasing group D.IT - Distribuzione Italiana has announced that it is adding a new member from 1 January 2022.
The arrival of Lombardi & C. will help further consolidate the cooperative’s presence in the Puglia region and in southern Italy, it said
The group's aim is to relaunch the Sigma brand in Puglia by rolling out directly owned and affiliated stores.
Lombardi & C. will take part in all D.IT activities, ranging from nationwide promotion to private label activities and store brand marketing.
D.IT - Distribuzione Italiana Structure
D.IT currently consists of nine retail and distribution groups: Sigma – Realco; Consorzio Europa; Cedi Sigma Campania; Coal; San Francesco; Distribuzione Sisa Centro Sud; Sisa Sicilia; Supercentro and Europa Commerciale.
It closed 2020 with a turnover of over €3 billion, achieved from a network of over 1,200 shops, of which 700 were in the proximity format. The group recently announced that it had seen significant growth across its private-label range since the start of the pandemic.
Lombardi & C. commenced its activities as a liqueur producer and has been managed by the Lombardi family for four generations.
Over the past decade, the company has expanded to food distribution, with the acquisition of a traditional wholesale business.
Lombardi & C's assets include a Lombardi Cash & Carry outlet, a 12,000 square metre distribution centre in Capurso (near Bari) and a dozen OgniDi neighbourhood stores in Bari, which boast an average retail surface of 400 square metres.
Last year, the company generated a turnover of around €30 million, with a projected growth of 10% by the end of 2021.
© 2021 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
