Italian retailer CIA-Conad says it has observed a change in grocery shopping habits – including a decrease in spending – across Italy, although its own results suggest the company is managing to overcome such economic problems.
'The economic crisis and the consequent fall in consumption are leading to a change in people's shopping habits,' the company said in a statement. 'For the first time, there has been a downturn in the amount spent on food, while Conad-branded products, which guarantee lower prices and good quality, have seen their share of total sales exceed 30 per cent.'
The company also announced this week that it had achieved a 3.5 per cent increase in sales to €1.7bn last year, with wholesale turnover coming in at €720m.
CIA (Commercianti Indipendenti Associati), the retailer cooperative responsible for operating the Conad banner, currently has 217 stores spread across Romagna, San Marino, Marche, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The company has predicted further growth in 2010, forecasting a 2.5 per cent increase in sales across the network and a 3.5 per cent upturn in the cooperative's turnover.
The group is planning to open new stores across Romagna, including a hypermarket in Forlì and three superstores in Rimini, Cesena and Faenza.
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