New market for Esselunga. It is that of companies, public businesses, Ho.Re.Ca., Traders, professionals and associations with VAT numbers, customer segments now reached and served with a series of dedicated services and a “one stop shop” approach. In other words, Esselunga accelerates with a digital multichannel approach. The decision to sell to B2b customers took shape in 2021 while in the first months of 2022 a dedicated division was created with a small team that reports directly to Roberto Selva, Chief marketing and customer officer of Esselunga.
A move that leverages the strength of the brand in Northern Italy and puts to ground the efficiency of the group that for years has focused on gastronomy, a specialty that offers double-digit margins compared to consumer products. Furthermore, since 2019 the company defines itself as a real food industry, with an offer that ranges from appetizers to first courses to finish with desserts. These products are the pillar of the new B2b offer and Esselunga presents itself to the market as a “one stop shop” partner capable of supplying everything a company, a team of professionals, or a local needs. A bar, for example, can buy brioches for breakfast, rice salad, paella, sushi and veal with tuna sauce, fresh fruit and vegetables for the midday saucers as well as drinks and snacks for the afternoon snack, potato chips. , cold pasta and other happy hour snacks as well as saucers, paper napkins, detergents and so on. A company, on the other hand, can choose the brand founded by Bernardo Caprotti to offer employees the company catering service.
With the app the day before, employees choose lunch from an agreed menu and then find the dishes in a refrigerated locker or vending machine. Esselunga takes care of everything, preparing the gastronomic specialties in the factories of Limito di Pioltello, Biandrate and Parma and with its own fleet of vans provides for the delivery of the lunch boxes. A value-added offer extended to stationery and school books for the children of employees, an incentive and corporate gift catalog, the agreement for the delivery of groceries in the company or at home, baskets and packages for the holidays, focusing on the premium Elisenda line , ending with B2b orders for large volumes of goods delivered to the company or to a dedicated collection point.
Esselunga thus enters the billionaire Ho.Re.Ca market. that pre Covid was served by 3,800 companies that generated sales (sell in) of approximately 17 billion, double Esselunga’s 2021 revenues. There are also those from the Ho.Re.Ca. decides to sell to consumer customers. It is Metro Italia that for about ten days has launched a multi-channel online platform to sell non-food items throughout the national territory, even to those who do not have a VAT number.