Esselunga confirms itself as the most efficient large-scale distribution group, but there is no doubt that in 2016 the greatest growth in sales is the prerogative of discounters: and in this sector, Lidl Italia and Eurospin lead the ranking of the best.
This was revealed by a study by Mediobanca R&S, which examined eight of the major Italian large-scale distribution groups, operating mainly in retail food distribution, which represent around 50% of the market. The turnover of the major Italian large-scale retail operators grew between 2011 and 2015 by an average of 4,5%. In 2015, the total turnover of these companies increased by 1,9% compared to the previous year.
The highest growth belongs to the discount stores: between 2011 and 2015 Lidl Italia and Eurospin recorded leaps in turnover of 43% (+9,6% in 2015) and 42,9% (+6,7% in 2015) respectively ). The third best performance is from Esselunga, which in the same period saw +11,6% (+4,7% in 2015). The group headed by the family of Bernardo Caprotti, who died in 2016, closed 2015 with a turnover of 7,2 billion euros and according to the indicators it is the most efficient, with almost 16 thousand euros of sales per square meter in 2015, against an Italian average of 7.200 euros.
