Arena: 'The VéGé Group aims for 20 billion in revenues by the end of 2027'
In 2026, 65 shops are expected to be opened and 3,000 jobs created
by Enrico Netti
The VéGé Group accelerates its development and aims to exceed 20 billion in revenue by the end of 2027. "The year 2025 will close with a turnover of more than 16.2 billion, up about 5.8% compared to the previous year that ended at 15.3 billion and up 10.3% on 2023," explains Giovanni Arena, Cavaliere del Lavoro and president of the VéGé Group. "We expect to bring forward to 2027 the twenty billion milestone, which was initially planned in the 'VéGé 2030' strategic plan for the end of the decade. In this scenario we could become the third largest group in the Italian large-scale retail trade: that is our goal'.
According to these forecasts, the podium of the large-scale retail trade would see the Selex Group confirmed in first place, followed by Conad, another confirmation, and on the third step VéGé, which would surpass, if the forecasts were confirmed, Coop Italia.
As far as the estimates for sales in December are concerned, the president is confident of 'a good Christmas' and points out that 2025 sales are already 'up by 5% at constant perimeter'.
The Group's strategy aims above all at strengthening its presence in the territory: the 32 member companies have planned investments of EUR 250-300 million during 2026. "This year, 54 new shops were opened and another 37 renovated. In the coming year we will open another 65 shops with the creation of about 3 thousand jobs,' adds Giorgio Santambrogio, the Group's CEO. 'We want to consolidate our leadership in Campania, Sicily, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Apulia and Basilicata. A large part of these jobs, about 2 thousand, will be in Southern Italy, increasing employment for women and young people'.
All this while maintaining the values of the member brands: tradition, innovation, social responsibility with the nutritional sustainability project, digitisation and network expansion, guaranteeing quality and convenience for consumers. Yesterday in Milan, the VéGé system met 750 brand industry suppliers and presented the 'VéGé data sharing 5.0' project. This is the evolution of the previous data sharing with the supply chain. This new phase will allow information to be shared down to the level of the individual product sold. "For the branded industry, this is a huge step forward: they will be able to monitor the sales of their own products and those of their competitors in real time," Arena emphasises. Such a detailed level of transparency has never been achieved before. "Even in digitising the relationship with suppliers, VéGé is looking further ahead: this sharing will make the supply chain more efficient and the economic benefits will be passed on to consumers."
