Italian retail group VéGé is expanding its presence in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, with the arrival of new partner Asta from January 1 2016.
Based in Bagnolo San Vito, near Mantua, Asta owns two distribution centers and a sales depot in Sabbioneta, while 12 outlets in Mantua and Brescia are managed on its behalf. All of them will become part of the Sidis banner.
As a result of the deal, Asta will get access to the marketing services and national promotional activities of VéGé Group, and to the prestigious Sidis banner. It will also extend its assortment with private label products for the Delizie VéGé range.
Meanwhile, VéGé Group has deployed Beacon technology via the CheckBonus platform in the first 100 stores, following successful tests in May. It is the first food retailer in Italy to use Beacon and over 110,000 consumers have already downloaded the dedicated app.
According to VéGé Group CEO, Giorgio Santambrogio, the intention is to extend the “tailor made” shopping experience to all sales outlets over time.
The Beacon devices are Bluetooth sensors that detect the presence and the location of smartphones, activating a data exchange between them. The store is then able to interact with customers from the moment of their entry and follow them as they move between lanes, providing product information, news and promotions.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
