Efficiency and collaboration
Capitalizing on its collaborative relationship with producers and manufacturers to bring high-quality and good value products to its customers is central to the ESD Italia strategy. Accordingly, on the purchasing front, Selex operates according to an efficient model that simplifies and streamlines relations between itself and its suppliers. When dealing with the producers of branded products, Selex operates through ESD Italia. When dealing with and entering into agreements with other suppliers (of branded products, cash and carry merchandise, fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, distributor-labelled goods), it operates directly through its own Head Office at Trezzano sul Naviglio (Milan).
This year, the Head Office's work of coordinating special promotions will be all the more intense because of the important upcoming 55th anniversary.
ESD Italia comes of age
Selex’s membership of Efficienza e Servizi per la Distribuzione (ESD Italia), Italy's top centralized purchasing and marketing alliance, amplifies its capacity to negotiate deals at a national level.
ESD Italia is the number one centralized purchasing and marketing alliance in the country. Its market share in the hypermarket-supermarket-convenience store-specialist drugstore segments of the retail trade is 22.9% (Source: IRI, August 2018). Its distribution network comprises 5,772 retail outlets with a combined floorage of 4 million square metres, and it employs around 70,000 staff. It is also the oldest such alliance.
In 2019, ESD Italia comes of age, having been founded 18 years ago in 2001. It is the only purchasing alliance backed by a dedicated and structured organization and stands out in the national retail landscape for the high quality of its affiliate companies, which include names such as Agora, Aspiag, Selex, Sun and Acqua & Sapone.
ESD Italia is growing from strength to strength thanks to the reliability and soundness both of its team and of its historic partners. In 2018, its turnover reached 22.3 billion euro, an increase of 4.2% on the previous year, which enabled it to cement its leadership in many regions.
The plans for 2019 include the opening of 222 new retail outlets up and down the country and 212 or so major renovation works in existing stores. It is an ambitious plan, to which ESD Italia has allocated 580 million euros.
