On November 18th, at the GDO News Retail Intelligence Forum in Milan, Eurospin and Lidl will discuss the development strategies of the two major players in the Italian discount sector. The focus of the discussion will not only be upcoming store openings, but also the investment decisions that could reshape the distribution landscape between now and 2035.
The future of Italian large-scale retail trade will also depend on decisions made today, far from the shelves and consumers. Decisions involving land purchases, location selection, the construction of new stores, and the transformation of urban and industrial areas. These are investments that may take years to translate into a store open to the public, but they are already shaping the commercial geography of the next decade.
Discount retailers are a key player in this process. Their expansion isn't limited to increasing sales of a single distribution format: Each new opening can change consumer flows, the attractiveness of competing brands and economic balance of an entire territory.
For this reason, the Eurospin vs. Lidl debate, scheduled for November 18th at the GDO News Retail Intelligence Forum, represents one of the most strategically important events of the day.
They will meet on the stage of the Orfeo Cinema in Milan Alessandro Penasa, CEO of Eurospin, and Emilio Arduino, CEO of Real Estate Development and Central Services at Lidl ItaliaTwo leading figures were called to discuss the prospects of a sector that has helped transform the Italian market and is now facing new challenges.
The discount model and the role of openings
The growth of a distribution network can come from two directions: the increase in sales in existing stores, the so-called like for like, and the expansion of the network through new openings.
For discount retailers, the second lever has historically been an essential component of growth. Opening new stores means conquering sales areas, increasing territorial coverage, and attracting consumers who previously turned to other brands.
But the Italian territory does not offer unlimited opportunities: the growing density of networks, the cost of land, the availability of suitable locations, and competition between operators make each new opening an increasingly complex decision. Identifying a site isn't enough: it's necessary to evaluate its accessibility, demographic potential, attractiveness, the presence of competitors, and the risk of taking away sales from stores already belonging to the same network.
The central question then becomes understanding where there is still room for growth and under what conditions a new investment can generate a satisfactory return.
When a discount store changes territory
A new discount store can be much more than a commercial project. In some cases, it requires the redevelopment of abandoned industrial areas, demolition, remediation, new road accesses, parking, and traffic changes. The commercial investment thus also becomes a local intervention, but the most significant transformation comes after the opening, when consumer behavior changes.
A store capable of attracting customers from a relatively large catchment area can alter the distribution of food spending in the surrounding area. The consequences affect traditional supermarkets, other discount stores, convenience stores, and, indirectly, the food industry that supplies these networks.
That's why the future of discount is not just about discount.
The 2035 large-scale retail trade begins today
Investments have different time horizons than weekly sales. Identifying a site, obtaining permits, designing, and building can take several years. Therefore, development decisions made today can help shape the market in 2030 and 2035.
How much room remains for new openings? Which territories still offer opportunities? How are location selection criteria changing? What balance must be struck between network growth, comparable store sales, and return on invested capital? These are some of the questions that will guide the comparison between Eurospin and Lidl.
Il November 18, 2026, at the Orfeo Cinema in Milan, the GDO News Retail Intelligence Forum will bring to the stage a discussion that involves the entire mass market retail supply chain, because understanding where and how discount stores will grow means understanding an important part of the future geography of Italian distribution.
Participate in the GDO News Retail Intelligence Forum 2026. The participation fee is €350 + VAT and includes the official volume with the four research studies conducted by Istituto Piepoli and GDO Data.
