While it is true that there is no shortage of coffee in every Italian home, it is also true that this was probably purchased in a supermarket near home. The GDO sales format between 400 and 800 meters is in fact the one that in the category has recorded the most significant sales in value with over 744 million out of the 1,6 billion total that the category has produced in the last year.
If we refer to the turnover in absolute value, we can say that a good slice of the market is then in the hands of Superstores and Discounts (17,7% and 16,3%) which reached sales of 290 and 268 million respectively, while Free Services remained well behind with 175 million euros and Hypermarkets with 160 million.
If we refer to market shares, the analysis is more technical: the coffee category in discount stores is not yet such as to be able to compete with the offerings of super and hypermarketsThe share data is a clear representation of this: 7/8 share points are missing, which benefited supermarkets and superstores.
What is the reason for this limitation? Probably the variety, or rather the big difference between the two sales formats. Coffee, as has been written several times in this special, is a category that was born from regionalisms, but it is also a category that needs to be expanded, the world of capsules is constantly evolving, pure ground coffee has always had a large expansion of the offer and a good depth. The discount must stereotype, and it must do so with coffee too. Rigid choices are made that meet the majority of consumers, but the limit of variety is insurmountable.
