DESPAR Italia continued its growth in 2025, announcing retail sales of €4.6 billion, a 3.3% increase from last year, as well as the opening 132 new and modernised stores, and further developments in DESPAR Italia's Own Brand assortment.

Growth in sales and store network

DESPAR Italia and the six companies forming the consortium reported total retail sales of €4.64 billion for 2025, a 3.3% increase on the previous year across a total of 1,382 stores and 810,968m² of retail sales area.

This growth has been facilitated by significant developments in the store portfolio. In total, DESPAR Italia welcomed the opening of 102 new stores and the reopening of 32 modernised stores across both independent and company-owned outlets across the country. Across the 132 store openings, 46 are attributed to the DESPAR Express convenience format, 49 to the DESPAR supermarket format, 5, large format EUROSPAR supermarkets, and 2 INTERSPAR hypermarkets.

Independent retailers comprise an integral part of DESPAR Italia’s store network, with 750 independent retailers operating 960 stores, generating a turnover of €1.6 billion last year.

Such store growth will continue in 2026 as the consortium intends to invest approximately €55 million into further expansion, further building the DESPAR brand.

DESPAR Own Brand focus

The DESPAR Own Brand assortment is a key pillar of DESPAR Italia’s operations. In 2025, DESPAR Italia’s own brand market share increased to 24.3%, positioning the DESPAR brand as a top five brand by market share in the private label category. In total, sales across DESPAR Italia’s Own Brand assortment reached €1.1 billion, an increase of 4.6% compared to the previous year.

The continued investment in the DESPAR Own Brand assortment creates an increasingly broad and complete offer, that covers all consumer segments and price points, from entry level to premium. About 180 new products were introduced to the assortment, further bolstered by the extension of the S-Budget range across the entire DESPAR Italia store network nationwide. The overall assortment of DESPAR Italia Own Brand products encapsulates approximately 4,200 products developed with over 500 suppliers, 97% of whom are based in the locality.

Source: DESPAR Italia

Read more news about SPAR Italy.

About SPAR Italy

SPAR Italy, known locally as DESPAR Italia, was first granted the SPAR brand licence in 1959. DESPAR Italia grants sub-licenses to regional partners, all of whom work together to grow the brand across the country. As a limited liability consortium, DESPAR Italia aims to provide itself with a corporate structure with a more efficient and flexible organisational structure. The central office places a strong emphasis on own brand product sourcing, supplementing the buying power of the consortium in the market.