Negotiations: Coca-Cola and Barilla

I made peace with Barilla after more than ten years of quarrelling. In the end in 1999 we gained, and a lot. An exceptional turnaround (plus 458 per cent in two years), in a very short time . Coca-Cola, in the late 1990s, came to Esselunga with absolutely unacceptable commercial conditions. In the end, the Antitrust Authority agreed and the American company was condemned to pay a fine of 15 million euros

ESD Italy – Efficiency and Services for Distribution, 2001

Marcello Cestaro, who heads one of the groups that make up Selex, jokingly defines our union as that between 'the beautiful', that is Esselunga, probably the 'most beautiful chain in Europe' and 'the beast', that is Selex... From them, however, we draw a huge lesson in humility: the beast, in fact, helps the beautiful so much to understand the market and double its profitability