Esselunga

Esselunga S.p.A. is a leading Italian retail chain specializing in supermarkets and superstores, primarily operating in northern and central Italy. Founded in 1957 in Milan as the country's first supermarket, it has grown into one of the most profitable grocery retailers, controlling approximately 8.3% of Italy's grocery distribution market.

The company operates around 171 stores across regions including Lombardy (with over 100 locations), Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, and Lazio. Esselunga stores focus on food products such as fresh produce, packaged goods, bread, meat, fish, pasta, beverages, and baked items, alongside private-label offerings and organic lines. Many larger stores feature Bar Atlantic coffee bars, nearly 45 selective beauty stores under the EsserBella/eb brand offering face and body care products, and innovative services like on-site fresh pastry production under the Elisenda brand.

Esselunga emphasizes quality, innovation, and sustainability, with centralized procurement, production plants in locations like Pioltello (delicatessen, pastries, meat processing), Parma (pasta, baked goods), and Biandrate (fish and ready meals), and advanced logistics via four distribution centers. It pioneered online shopping in Italy in 2001, customer loyalty programs (Fidaty card) in 1994, and private-label products. Recent store designs, developed with architects like Landini Associates, revolutionize the retail experience by prioritizing food production visibility and customer interaction at the entrance.

With a strong commitment to fresh, high-quality food and beverages, Esselunga serves 5.7 million loyal customers through 168 meat departments and 118 fish departments. The chain supports local communities via urban regeneration projects and photovoltaic systems generating 8,600 kWp. All private-label products are produced in Italy, ensuring traceability and freshness for suppliers in food, drinks, and beauty categories.

• Key strengths: In-house production for delicatessen, pastries, pasta, and ready meals.
• Beauty retail: eb perfumeries in Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, and Tuscany.
• E-commerce and lockers: 90 available for convenient pickup.

Esselunga remains family-owned through Supermarkets Italiani S.p.A., positioning it as an attractive partner for manufacturers seeking premium retail distribution in Italy's competitive grocery sector.