Esselunga, one of Italy’s leading grocery retailers, reported robust profitability for the first half of 2025, underpinned by margin expansion despite broadly flat revenues.
The group posted total sales of €4.73bn, broadly in line with the €4.72bn reported in the same period last year. However, performance was weighed down by around €50mn in shopping vouchers redeemed following the conclusion of a loyalty programme. Adjusting for this one-off effect, sales would have grown by approximately 1 per cent.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose sharply to €412.2mn, representing 8.7 per cent of sales, up from €312.4mn and 6.6 per cent a year earlier. Excluding a €40mn benefit linked to the loyalty scheme’s closure, the EBITDA margin would have stood at 7.9 per cent.
Operating profit also more than doubled to €205.4mn, or 4.3 per cent of sales, compared with €103.6mn (2.2 per cent) in the first half of 2024. Net profit surged to €120.8mn, up from €44.7mn in the prior-year period, lifting net margin from 0.9 per cent to 2.6 per cent.
ONGOING INVESTMENT AND RESILIENT PRICING STRATEGY OF ESSELUNGA
Capital expenditure reached €181.8mn in the first half, reflecting ongoing investment in the expansion and restructuring of the store network.
Esselunga reported an adjusted net financial position of negative €1.97bn, a seasonal fluctuation linked to the nature of the business cycle.
Despite inflationary pressures from suppliers — who raised average price lists by 1.7 per cent — Esselunga kept shelf price increases to just 0.1 per cent. The group preserved its competitive edge, with prices remaining 1 percentage point below market averages in its trading area and 0.8 percentage points lower nationally.
L’articolo Esselunga Reports Profit Growth in H1 2025 proviene da Italianfood.net.
