The Italian division of German wholesaler Metro closed its financial year 2021-2022 with 'record' sales of €1.8 billion, up 35% from 2020-2021.
Highlights include a 27% growth in cash-and-carry sales to €1.4 billion; a 78% increase in turnover from food service distribution to €370 million, and 48% sales growth in the private-label category to €494 million.
The good performance of the food service segment, which is relatively new to the group, is explained by the transformation of the service offering, which has been rewarding in a post-pandemic recovery context.
sCore 2030 Strategy
The results, which were higher even than in the pre-pandemic period, were driven by the new sCore 2030 strategy, centred on three pillars: focus on HoReCa customers, expansion of multichannel, and investment in new business areas.
Three sales channels are available to Metro customers: cash-and-carry; food service distribution with home deliveries managed by stores and two warehouses; and Mercato Online, a marketplace offering 30,000 products from over 100 non-food partner companies.
Speaking to weekly publication, L’Economia del Corriere, CFO Benjamin Wemeau said the company is very pleased with the results obtained, ‘which confirm Italy as one of the reference markets globally.’
He pointed out that ‘geographical indications and short supply chain products are key to development.’
Local Products
Metro Italia collaborates with more than 1,300 small local companies and boasts an assortment of about 7,000 products of the local food and wine tradition, including many excellences certified as PDO, PGI, PAT, slow food presidium and with certified supply chain.
Metro Italia is present today in 16 regions of Italy, with 49 stores, about 4,000 employees and 200,000 customers.
Mercato Online has recorded a turnover of €1.5 million, making Italy the country where the new channel has grown the most in the first quarter of operation.
Metro is also committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 and reducing food waste by 50% by 2025.
© 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.
