Selling to Esselunga: how to get listed

Updated: 14 October 2026

In short

Esselunga is a single, integrated supermarket chain with 196 stores in northern and central Italy, most of them in Lombardy, and Italy's number six grocery retailer by market share. It buys only for its own stores, and purchasing, logistics and promotions are run centrally, so there are no regional members or ce.di. to win over, as at Conad, Selex or VéGé. Suppliers apply through a public online form. A new CEO, Claude Sarrailh, took over on 2 October 2026.

Esselunga at a glance

Figure	Value	Source
Sales	€9,531.8 million in 2025, +0.9%; €4,786.8 million in H1 2026, +1.3%	Esselunga consolidated report 2025; H1 2026 results
Market share	7.34% (GNLC, 2nd ed. 2025)	AGCM bulletin 6/2026, 9 Feb 2026
Stores	196 at the end of 2025 in eight regions: 181 supermarkets and superstores (105 in Lombardy), 12 LaEsse neighbourhood stores, 3 other formats	Esselunga consolidated report 2025
Employees	28,305 at the end of 2025, all in Italy	Esselunga consolidated report 2025
Sales per m²	€16,071 net of VAT, ahead of all major international grocers in Mediobanca's panel	WineNews on Mediobanca, 1 Apr 2026
Leadership	Marina Caprotti, Executive Chair; Claude Sarrailh, CEO and Director General since 2 Oct 2026, previously at Ahold Delhaize	Esselunga consolidated report 2025; Esselunga, 7 Oct 2026

How Esselunga buys

Central: purchasing, production, logistics and promotional policies are all centralised (consolidated report 2025). The competition authority lists Esselunga as its own buying centre, outside the national buying alliances (AGCM bulletin 6/2026).
Own production: plants at Limito di Pioltello (Milan), Biandrate (Novara) and Parma make own-brand food, from meat and fish to bread and pastry (consolidated report 2025).
Stores: store managers receive planograms drawn up centrally from each product's sales in their store (Alimentando, 23 Jan 2025).
Terms: Esselunga says it rules out reverse auctions and pays weekly, agri-food within the terms of D.Lgs. 198/2021 (consolidated report 2025).

Getting listed at Esselunga

Esselunga's supplier area links to a qualification portal with a public application form (Esselunga supplier area):

Apply online. Open to suppliers of goods for resale: company details and turnover, at least one document such as a brochure, your product categories and the areas you can supply (Esselunga self-application; guide, Jun 2026).
Qualification. If Esselunga is interested, it emails you a user ID to start qualification, with data such as production capacity and certifications. Qualifying does not oblige Esselunga to buy (qualification rules).
Codes and ESG. Suppliers accept Esselunga's Code of Ethics and Supplier Code of Conduct and answer a risk-based ESG questionnaire (consolidated report 2025; governance).
Quality. Quality Assurance audits own-brand suppliers and lab-tests their products; in 2025, 97% of own-brand packaged-food suppliers held a GFSI-recognised certification (consolidated report 2025).

Esselunga says it pays particular attention to local suppliers and regional products (consolidated report 2025).

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Promotions at Esselunga

Element	How it works	Source
Flyers	Per store, found by province, town and store	Esselunga flyers and promotions
Fìdaty loyalty card	Since 1995; used by more than 95% of customers, with 5.6 million loyal customers. Discounts are for card holders, and points go to the prize catalogue or a shopping voucher	Esselunga, about us; H1 2026 results; Fìdaty cards
Online	Esselunga Spesa Online: more than 15,000 products, home delivery or pick-up at Clicca e Vai points and lockers	Esselunga Spesa Online

Private label and sustainability

Packaged own-brand products make up 25% of Esselunga's sales: half from mainstream lines, 5% from Top, 4% from the Smart first-price line and 41% from specialist lines such as Bio, Naturama and Equilibrio (Esselunga's commercial director to Alimentando, Jan 2025). Top is the high-end line (Top) and Smart has more than 400 products (Smart); see all Esselunga brands. In 2025, 88.2% of Esselunga-brand products were made in Italy (consolidated report 2025). Esselunga publishes its sustainability strategy online (Esselunga).

FAQ

How do I become a supplier to Esselunga?

Apply through the self-application form ("Autocandidati") on Esselunga's supplier qualification portal, linked from the supplier area of esselunga.it. If Esselunga is interested, it emails you a user ID to start qualification.

Who buys for Esselunga?

Esselunga buys for its own stores. Purchasing, production, logistics and promotions are run centrally, and the competition authority lists Esselunga as its own buying centre, outside the national buying alliances.

Does passing qualification mean I am listed?

No. Esselunga's qualification rules say that passing qualification does not oblige it to buy or to sign a contract.

How big is Esselunga's private label?

Packaged own-brand products make up 25% of sales, according to Esselunga's commercial director in January 2025. Lines include Esselunga, Top, Smart, Bio, Naturama and Equilibrio.

How do Esselunga promotions work?

Through store flyers planned centrally, points and discounts reserved for holders of the Fìdaty loyalty card, and the Fìdaty prize catalogue.

How Sellva helps

Sellva tracks your Esselunga listings, Fìdaty promotions and sell-out next to your other Italian accounts, and Sellva Agent flags risks for your KAM.