Esselunga’s operating result

One of the many stories that have circulated about me is that I would have brought Esselunga poor financial results for 2003 and that this would have led to my removal. Nothing could be more untrue. If you look at the numbers, you can see that the 2003 Ros, compared to that of the early 1990s, was decidedly better, thanks in part to careful management of contracts with suppliers (see the example of Barilla) and to the negotiations carried out in the ESD Centre

Quick Take — Conad and Selex compared

Selex like you announced a year-end turnover of 21.1 billion… “We have a similar turnover but there is a fundamental difference: Selex is a multi-brand group that is performing well. Conad, on the other hand, is present throughout Italy with distinctive traits and homogeneous pricing policies. Our brand aggregates a capital of trust and identity that grows year by year. Our branded products also serve this purpose: they are worth 40% of sales and one third of turnover’.

It is true that in Selex there are many brands – and in Conad there are not – but I understand that they are both (Conad and Selex) purchasing centres, like the one I co-founded with Riccardo Francioni (Esd Italia).

And so the comparison makes no sense.

Giuseppe Caprotti at OSA360, in front of 2000 entrepreneurs, in Milan on 8 November 2024

At OSA 360, the biggest event for entrepreneurs in Milan, I had the pleasure of telling an audience of more than 2,000 entrepreneurs, producers and retailers about the origins of Esselunga and all the innovations I introduced in the company up to 2004, inspired by the themes of my book ‘Le Ossa dei Caprotti’. It was exciting to share this vision, which continues to evolve through the initiatives of the Guido Venosta Foundation