Milan-based retailer VéGé Group has kicked off the new year by boosting its presence in south-central Italy.
Collaboration agreements have been signed with Fratelli Arena in Sicily and Multicedi in Campania, which will enable VéGé Group to become the largest Italian convenience-store operator, with 1,450 outlets.
Arena Group, founded in 1976 by the brothers Gioachino and Cristofero Arena, is a market leader in the provinces of Enna, Caltanissetta and Catania (Sicily), as well as in the Calabria region, with over 100 stores. It ended 2015 with an estimated turnover of €440 million, and its growth plan is focused on the opening of both direct and franchised sales points.
Multicedi was set up in 1993 by a group of local businessmen and currently has a market share of more than 14 per cent in the Campania region. With a network of over 420 stores, including cash-and-carries, hypermarkets, supermarkets and specialty stores, it finished 2015 with a turnover of €760 million. Since 2014, it has partnered with Fratelli Arena on the joint development of the Deco brand.
VéGé Group consists of 31 partner companies with a total network of over 2,400 stores, from hypermarkets and superstores, to convenience stores and small speciality shops.
© 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.
