Italian regional retailer Gruppo Unicomm opened 18 new stores during 2022, in the various regions in which it operates.
For 2023, the group is planning six new openings and 12 renovations of existing stores.
Gruppo Unicomm closed 2022 with an estimated turnover of €2.7 billion, which represents 13% annual growth, and 9.6% growth in like-for-like terms.
According to commercial director Giancarlo Paola, turnover targets for the coming year will be closely linked to the evolution of inflation, which at least in the first six months of the year will be important.
The Role Of E-Commerce
He added that e-commerce would continue to play a key role for the group in 2023, "which is yielding satisfying results, albeit different from region to region", stressing that in online sales, the group is trending higher than the market average.’
Paola pointed out that the group’s goal is to cover the areas where the service can take root, since in Italy there are territories where e-commerce exceeds 10% of large-scale retail sales, and others where it does not reach 2%.
Price Increases
He admitted that in 2022, price increases and the difficulties in bringing said increases to the shelf quickly have eroded the margins of large-scale retail trade operators.
According to Paola, the price list changes by suppliers have, in some cases, led to some products dropping out of retailer assortments.
Gruppo Unicomm has recorded an increase in the frequency of purchases and a substantial growth of private label brand products, including premium and specialty lines.
The incidence in turnover varies according to the shop format and the territory in which it is located, but in some areas private label has reached 28% volume share.
Selex Gruppo Commerciale
Distribution and retailing group Selex Gruppo Commerciale, of which Gruppo Unicomm is a member, is in the process of updating its product lines and introducing sustainable packaging.
Responding to growing demand for convenience, Selex has decided to freeze the price of a basket of 500 private label products, while the most loyal customers are rewarded with dedicated discounts.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
