Quick Take — Coop: retail at 14.9 billion, 1% growth in 2024 does not beat inflation

Source.

Coop’s retail turnover reached 14.9 billion in 2024. However, the 1% growth is not enough to outpace inflation, which on a trend basis for food, household and personal care goods stood at1 .7% in December 2024 (ISTAT).

📉 Food trade volumes down for the third year running

📈 The exception is Unicoop Florence which is growing in volumes:2 .3% in 2024

Compiled 19 June, updated 20 June 2025

US: inflation-weary consumers stock up on discount stores

As in France and Italy, inflation due to Covid – 19 in the US has left deep traces that have favoured the development of discount formulas, albeit with very different approaches and sales methods. US consumers are also experiencing the political uncertainty sown by the tariffs wanted by Donald Trump. Box stores (wholesale discounters) are depopulating in the US, driven by concerns about the high cost of living. Chris Nichols , CEO of Sam’s Club (Walmart’s box store chain) predicts ‘difficult times’ for the US economy

Quick Take — Rome: discounters at 24.6%

The supermarket model, in Lazio, is the pivot on which the entire distribution machine revolves: with 6.52 billion euro turnover (6.9%), it now covers 55.1% of the market, marking an increase of 2.12 percentage points in share compared to the previous year. A confirmation of the centrality of this format in a city that rewards proximity and frequency of purchase.

discounters continue their run, recording a 6.1% increase in turnover to EUR 2.91 billion, with a market share of almost 24.6%. This confirms that, even in a metropolitan context, price remains one of the main purchasing drivers, especially in times of inflation…

Conad and Selex leaders. Eurospin follows. Hypermarkets are doing badly.

Quick Take — US: inflation-fatigued consumers stock up on discount stores (the ‘box stores’ where you enter with a subscription and membership card)

The Financial Times headline I took my cue from was: ‘US consumers, tired of inflation, queue up for toilet paper and cheap Bordeaux wine’:

“… inflation… has left consumer prices in the US 26% higher than in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Consumer surveys show continued concern about inflation as the US imposes tariffs on trading partners.

“In good times we do well, and in bad times we do even better,” said Chris Nicholas, CEO of Sam’s Club US who reported that like-for-like sales rose 6.7 per cent in the first quarter, excluding fuel, outpacing the growth of his parent company’s US namesake shops …” .

It is a division of the Walmart Group, which had sales of USD 92.6 billion in 2025 . “Sam’s’ is named after its founder, Sam Walton, and only buys large packages (‘bulk’) there.

Read the long version here.

Compiled on 30 May , updated on 3 June 2025