Aspiag Service, a Despar concessionaire for Northeast Italy, ended 2016 with a turnover of €2.07 billion, up 3% on the previous year.
The company (also known as Despar Nordest), which is responsible for the Despar, Eurospar and Interspar stores in the Triveneto and Emilia Romagna regions, achieved a 15.61% market share in its trading area (GNLC data from June 2016).
Aspiag Service had a better performance than the Italian retail sector in general, according to the retailer; it saw a 0.1% growth in sales during 2016, while the food retail segment registered a growth of only 0.2%.
Last year, the company opened 25 new stores, including direct subsidiaries and franchised stores entrusted to retailers, and has renovated 15 others, for a total investment of over €100 million.
Among the new stores in 2016, Aspiag Service opened its first Interspar supermarket in Parma, in the Emilia Romagna region, investing €11 million. The region represents the new expansion target of the brand, the company said.
Another important threshold was the opening of Despar Teatro Italia, which marked the entry of the retailer into the historical centre of Venice. The store, located in an historical palace that previously housed the Cinema Teatro Italia, required an investment of €2.5 million.
© 2017 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
