Coffee Day

Nespresso, Italy leader in sales points. And now wants to grow in hotels and restaurants

Italy, with 75 boutiques and the new flagship store in Milan, is among the top 5 markets in the world, where the Nestlé brand recorded 6% growth in the first six months of 2025, reaching CHF 3.2 billion in sales

by Maria Teresa Manuelli

1 October 2025

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The new flagship store in Milan's Piazza Cordusio represents more than just a commercial opening for Nespresso: it is the concrete manifestation of the brand's strategy in the Italian market, one of the five most important worldwide. The space, inaugurated on 18th September 2025, in fact hosts the first Nespresso Bar in Italy and was created in response to a survey conducted with Swg which revealed that over 50% of Italians want to live immersive and sensory experiences linked to coffee.

The outlet in the centre of the Lombard capital is also unique in terms of the services offered: from master classes on coffee culture to coffee labs for experimenting with innovative recipes, from the personalisation area for creating unique gifts to the click and collect service. "For us, the objective is to broaden the customer experience, not only those we usually target," explains Mario Valla, b2c sales director of Nespresso Italiana, highlighting how 33% of Italians already experiment with coffee during the day, a percentage that rises to 50% among GenZ and Millennials according to the research.

"We have been present in Italy since 1999, a market that has always represented a strategic point for us, combining the tradition of espresso with the role of trendsetter, capable of innovating and influencing global markets," emphasises Thomas Reuter, General Manager of Nespresso Italiana. The Cordusio flagship is therefore conceived as a laboratory of innovation, a unique format that the brand intends to use as a model for future openings around the world.

Strategic and Growing Market

For the company, part of the Nestlé group, Italy is in fact not only an important market in terms of size, but represents a true incubator of ideas. Globally, Nespresso recorded a 6% growth in the first six months of 2025, reaching 3.2 billion Swiss francs in sales (it was 6.4 in the 12 months of 2024, nda) .The Italian market ranks among the five largest globally, with growth described as "very healthy" by management. 'Italy is a market where we have tried and started many things that then came to the rest of the world,' confirms Reuter.

The country represents fertile ground for experimentation: it was here that Nespresso tested the Cube, a vending system for capsules, before extending it to other markets. Cold coffee, launched for the first time in Italy seven years ago in a limited edition, has also been so successful that it has become a fixture in the news calendar.

The largest boutique network

With 75 boutiques distributed throughout the country, Italy holds the record as the market with the brand's most extensive point-of-sale network globally. "In the last five years," emphasises Mario Valla, "between relocations and new openings, we have revised 30% of the network. The expansion strategy will continue with the same approach in the coming years. Indeed, the next opening is imminent which will be in Rome, in the Prati district, scheduled for the beginning of 2026. "The retail channel represents a central piece of the omnichannel approach that integrates physical and digital through e-commerce, apps and customer service," Valla concludes.

The expanding b2b segment

Although the domestic business still accounts for the majority of sales, the b2b segment is experiencing particularly significant growth. Two years ago Nespresso directly internalised the management of the horeca channel (hotelleries, restaurants and cafeterias), previously entrusted to distributors. "It is growing very strongly, in double figures," reveals Thomas Reuter without giving more precise figures, but emphasising how this segment has become a strategic priority for the future. The presence in the out-of-home channel is, in fact, now national, with coverage extending to the islands as well, while maintaining a particular concentration in Rome and Milan.

Furthermore, in addition to the collaboration with Caffè Florian di Venezia, which started this year and led to the creation of an exclusive blend, Nespresso is working on new partnerships. "The company also continues to invest in communication," continues Reuter, "with Miriam Leone, for the past two years, as ambassador in Italy and with George Clooney as global brand figure.

Sustainable innovation: home pick-up

Nespresso's environmental commitment in Italy takes the form of significant investments: 12 million euros have been invested in sustainability since 2011, with an acceleration planned for the three-year period 2025-2027, which will lead to an investment of 4 million euros. The "From Chicco to Chicco" project, launched in 2011, has already made it possible to collect and recycle over 12 thousand tonnes of capsules nationwide.
The real novelty, starting right now in Milan, is the home collection service for used capsules, the result of an agreement between the Municipality of Milan, Amsa, Nespresso and Cial.

"This is a totally innovative action," Reuter concludes, "even on an international level, it is the first time we can offer this kind of service to customers. The service, operational from September 2025, allows used capsules to be handed over directly to the courier when a new order is delivered, at no extra cost. According to estimates by the City of Milan, over 80 tonnes of capsules are expected to be collected and recycled in the urban area alone over the course of a year, recovering over 50 tonnes of used coffee and more than 5 tonnes of aluminium.