Italy’s SUN (Supermercati Uniti Nazionali) consortium is planning to invest almost €100 million in opening 20 new stores in 2020, reports suggest.
The retailer and purchasing group recorded positive growth in 2019, ending the year with over 600 stores.
For 2020, SUN Group has forecast a market share of 4.1% and a total sales value of €3.2 billion.
According to chairman Marco Odolini, traditional stores will remain the primary interface for customers, which is why SUN Group has decided to invest in new stores and the restructuring of existing ones.
'All-Channel Development'
He also stated that "growth will also come from all-channel development, with the introduction of important innovations related to digitisation".
The group’s Consilia private-label brand will be at the centre of an important development programme that will lead to a consistent increase in SKUs and turnover.
Estimated sales of Consilia products reached €157.8 million in 2019, an increase of almost €13 million compared to 2018.
The forecast for 2020 indicates a turnover of €165.7 million, with plans to add more than 130 new SKUs to its range.
The company will focus on sustainable non-food products, ranging from ecological household detergents and organic detergents to compostable tableware.
Sustainable Products
Its eco-friendly detergents include the Consilia Scelte dalla Natura range, made with plant-based raw materials that are completely biodegradable and sourced from renewable resources.
Novelties for 2020 include Consilia Scelte dalla Natura tableware, made with vegetable fibres that are 100% compostable and biodegradable and resistant to high oven and microwave temperatures.
Elsewhere, the Consilia Saper Scegliere range offers an assortment of paper plates and glasses in PLA, a material obtained from the fermentation of sugar extracted from corn, which is 100% compostable and biodegradable.
SUN consortium includes local retail chains Italmark, Gruppo Gabrielli, Alfi (Gulliver), Cadoro and Gros Gruppo Romano Supermercati.
© 2020 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.
