Esselunga, Lidl and Conad were among the leading Italian retail players acknowledged for excellence in a report published by the Alimentando portal.
The report analysed the performance of the top ten retailers in terms of market share and three best performing players in the organised distribution segment (Aspiag, Crai, D.It.).
It explored economic indicators (turnover, profitability or store openings), as well as growth, format development, private label, sustainability and customer services.
Esselunga Leads The Way
Esselunga came out on top in the general ranking, as well as in the categories 'format development', 'private label' and 'customer services.'
The report said that, in recent years, Esselunga has 'profoundly restructured the superstore concept' as well as launching a number of new store formats, such as Elisenda and LaEsse.
Lidl Performs Strongly
Placing second, Lidl performed well in all categories, in particular 'format development' (in which it placed third), with the report highlighting the and organisation of its departments.
The discounter also placed third for its approach to sustainability.
Conad Scores Highly
Third-placed Conad scored highly for its efforts to develop the supermarket channel, in which it is the market leader with a 23.57% share.
During 2022, Conad plans to launch an online site, offering both food shopping and various other services.
Recognising Excellence
Elsewhere in the Alimentando.info report, Coop was acknowledged for its sustainability efforts; Selex for its growth; MD was cited as a high flier in the format development category, while Gruppo VéGé’s efforts in the private label segment weren't recognised.
Placing at the bottom of the general ranking, however, were Carrefour, D.it (with the Sigma and Sisa brands) and Eurospin.
Carrefour's challenges with the hypermarket format were cited, while Eurospin was seen as lacking when it comes to sustainability and adequate promotion of private label. Elsewhere, the absence of a Sustainability Report weighed on D.it.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Branislav Pekic. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
