Crai

CRAI is a retailers cooperative, started by a small group of retailers (neighborhood grocery stores) in 1973, which now serves some 3,000 franchised stores in 19 Italian regions from its 91 distribution centers. The co-op also operates in Malta and Switzerland. According to the survey reports in 2007, it claimed 9% of the Italian food distribution business.

The store composition of CRAI includes:

• 1,075 Simpatia Crai outlets (199 square meters each)
• 1,150 super-CRAI stores (from 200 to 299 square meters each)
• 377 Supermercato CRAI stores (from 400 to 2,499 square meters each)
• 11 cash & carry outlets
• 296 specialty stores (IperSoap, Linea Bellezza, Centro Specializzato CAD).

Besides food retailing, CRAI also oversees diversified operations in the durable sector: office machines, electronic equipment, furnishings, motor vehicles, etc.

Its total sales surpass 500 billion line, placing CRAI among Italy’s top 150 companies.