Conad Adriatico is investing 270 million over three years

Conad Adriatico, one of the five retail cooperatives within the Conad network, will organise a members’ convention on Thursday, at which, amongst other things, an investment plan totalling 270 million euros – to be allocated by the end of 2028 – will be discussed. ‘A significant portion will be allocated to the retail network, covering new openings, refurbishments, expansions and improving the efficiency of stores. Then there are further investments in logistics, digital technologies and our people,” says Antonio Di Ferdinando, CEO of Conad Adriatico, who has been with the company for almost 40 years, outlining some of the key points. “Investing enables us to boost competitiveness and the system’s productivity, whilst strengthening the network’s entrepreneurial capacity.” According to Niq’s findings, this co-operative holds a market share of 17.6 per cent and is the leading retailer in Abruzzo, Marche and Molise.

The CEO’s plans for next year are based on investments totalling around 75 million, nine of which are earmarked for the refurbishment of a number of shops. Around ten new store openings are also planned. Work is also underway on infrastructure to support the retail network, such as the new logistics hub currently being designed in the Marche region. “We have nine hubs with around 115,000 square metres of usable floor space, and to better serve the shops in the Marche and Abruzzo regions, we are investing 20 million in a new logistics centre in Centobuchi di Monteprandone, in the province of Ascoli Piceno. It will have a usable floor area of over 20,000 square metres,” reveals Di Ferdinando. “With volumes of this size, even small improvements in efficiency can have a significant impact.”

Conad Adriatico is one of the few large-scale retail chains, alongside Eurospin, that is pursuing international expansion, in this case in the Balkans. “We entered the Albanian market twenty years ago and today we are carefully assessing opportunities for growth,” emphasises the CEO. “For the foreseeable future, we will continue to focus on gradual growth by leveraging our ability to adapt the Conad model to the characteristics of individual local markets.” There are currently 35 Conad supermarkets across Albania and Kosovo, with some outlets achieving record performance. “Some of our shops achieve an average productivity per square metre of between 7,000 and 9,000 euros,” says Di Ferdinando. Artificial intelligence and business intelligence are also among the key areas for development and drivers of margin growth. “AI enables us to forecast demand more accurately, reduce stock levels, improve logistics and streamline processes, which means increasing productivity and the quality of decision-making,” notes the CEO. Technology, however, remains a tool, not an end in itself: it must free up resources and time to be devoted to product range, service and customer relations because, for a complex network like ours, even small improvements applied on a large scale can translate into greater productivity and service quality.”

The Conad Adriatico network currently comprises 446 outlets spread across several provinces in the Marche region, as well as in Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia and Basilicata. There are also outlets in Albania and Kosovo, and the workforce numbers around 9,000 employees across the head office and shops. In 2025, total turnover stood at over 2.35 billion euros, representing growth of 4.8 per cent. “We expect to reach 2.48 billion in 2026,” says the CEO.

Over the last five years, Conad Adriatico’s turnover has risen by 27 per cent: growth driven by ongoing investment in the network, the development of its member-entrepreneurs and an increasingly strong presence across the regions. “The real challenge is to grow by increasing the productivity of the network, our processes and our investments,” concludes the CEO. “We are focusing on our own-brand products, fresh produce, services and our ability to understand our customers better. In the retail sector, growth must be achieved one shop at a time.”