Gianni Cavalieri, DESPAR Sicilia, was appointed as President of DESPAR Italia by the Board of Directors on 20 December 2022. Since 2012, Gianni Cavalieri has been the Vice-President of the national consortium. DESPAR Italia has a presence in 17 Italian regions, with a total of 1,374 DESPAR, EUROSPAR and INTERSPAR stores.

Former President Paul Klotz, who has held the position of President since 2016, will continue to work alongside Gianni Cavalieri in his new role of Vice President. Paul Klotz made this change due to work commitments in Europe following his appointment to the SPAR Austria Board. In recognition of his contributions to the development, affirmation, and positive reputation of DESPAR Italia, he remains a Director.

Following the transformation of the organisation into a limited liability consortium company on 1 August 2022, DESPAR Italia’s Board of Directors introduced two new Directors. The new Directors – Marco Fuso (DESPAR North West) and Francesco Montalvo (DESPAR North East) – join Pippo Cannillo (DESPAR Centro Sud), Fabrizio Colombo (DESPAR Sardinia) and Toni Fiorino (DESPAR Messina) to complete the Board.

Commenting on his new position, President Cavalieri said: “My appointment does not change in any way the positive balances achieved. I favour greater and closer synergies between the consortium companies in support of the DESPAR consortium development plus further growth of own brands aimed at greater customer satisfaction.”

Source: DESPAR Italia

Read more about SPAR in Italy

About SPAR Italy

SPAR Italy, known locally as DESPAR Italia, was first granted the SPAR Brand’s licence in 1959. The first store opened in 1960, making SPAR the first partnership of retailers and wholesalers to operate in the country. In addition, SPAR Italy licenses regional partners, all of whom work together to grow the brand across the country.

The DESPAR consortium operates stores under three formats: DESPAR neighbourhood supermarkets, EUROSPAR Supermarkets, and INTERSPAR Hypermarkets. Many of the larger format stores are company-owned, reflecting the scale of investment required. The independently owned neighbourhood supermarkets are a vital part of the organisation’s strategy to bring a high-quality, tailored grocery offering to communities.