After these first 50 years of continuous evolution, the group is projecting this success into the future, working on the development of all existing market channels and remaining open to the possibility of creating new ones.


Milan, 15 May 2024 - Finiper Canova, the historic Italian retail group today employing more than 10,000 people, closes 2023 with unprecedented results to be celebrated together with its 50th anniversary: over €3 billion in turnover, with over €200 million in EBITDA.

Its story started in 1974 with a gamble: the launch in Italy of ‘Iper with a capital I’, a chain of hypermarkets which were unprecedented for the time, with the introduction of open kitchens and own produce, like at the market.

This idea of Iper founder Marco Brunelli – who is still working – gave the group a clear and innovative entrepreneurial vision, namely being not only distributors but also producers.

Thanks to this vision, Iper produce, made in-store and in front of customers, soon became the flagship of the company.

In order to keep the quality of its produce high, Iper has also promoted the establishment of an in-house ‘Scuola dei Mestieri’ (School of Trades), where experts meet and young people learn new recipes through an ongoing training programme.

Investment in young people is a priority for Finiper Canova Group, aware of their indispensable contribution to enabling continuity and improvement.

From this perspective, the group has lowered the average age of its personnel, favouring a generational change by integrating those who will be the future managers of the company with more experienced colleagues, who are responsible for their training.

Since 1974, the group has continued to grow and has transcended the traditional boundaries of large-scale retailing thanks to great entrepreneurial foresight that, following the evolution of consumer habits, has led to the establishment by Finiper Canova of different yet complementary hypermarket formats.

The first step in this direction was the strategic acquisition of the Unes chain, aimed at completing the offering and meeting the needs of consumers who require a more immediate and local shopping experience than that offered by hypermarkets.

Unes is central to the group, so much so that, following the unsatisfactory results of the last few years, it decided to carry out a comprehensive restructuring to relaunch the brand, which will naturally take some time to complete, but is strategic for strengthening the concept of ‘being close to the people’.

The constant search for quality and an interesting offering for customers has led to the creation of successful labels such as il Viaggiator Goloso, which is a unique case in the Italian large-scale retail trade and in a short time has become an iconic brand, a benchmark for Italian food and wine excellence.

Now a strategic asset and one of its strengths, the group intends to maintain this label and increase its investments in it in the future.

Finiper Canova Group has also taken the concept of shopping centre to a new level by rewriting the rules of shopping and proposing a new experience, within a genuine meeting place that again goes beyond the confines of a standard shopping centre: Piazza Portello, an open square in the city centre, and IL CENTRO, opened in Arese in 2016, with its 200 stores set in a modern and innovative structure, making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe, with 20 million visitors in 2023.

The Arese project is far from finished: the plan is to extend the area by a further one million square metres, with the added value also of introducing innovative new retail experiences.

This includes the group’s reformulated approach to catering in response to the evolution of consumer demand, which today focuses increasingly on value for money and taste experience.

Iper’s evolution means it is no longer just a hypermarket, but also an authentic restaurant, going beyond the simple in-store service of food and beverages to explore new culinary adventures, starting with the six ‘Iper la grande i’ table-service restaurants, based on different, elegant and innovative concepts, and including alternative formats such as Caffè Portello, Rom'Antica, Cremamore, as far as experimenting with new ideas such as it’s the totally revamped, serviced version of Ristò.

‘We are proud of what we have achieved in 2023,’ said Christophe Mosca, General Manager of Finiper Canova Group, ‘a year of consolidation and positive changes that have laid the foundations for a vision that transcends the individual brand to become an increasingly group-based vision, embracing all the commercial actors it contains.

We look to the future with determination to bring value to every aspect of the group, not only developing existing businesses but also evaluating new formats that respond to changing demands of the market.’

In line with this vision, the group decided to leave Federdistribuzione, despite the excellent relationship with the association and with Carlo Buttarelli, whom we thank for his constant support.

This decision is in line with the group’s belief that, in a phase of organisational transformation, a position of autonomy with respect to all trade associations is more conducive to achieving its objectives.

This vision is also reflected in the launch of Gruppo Finiper Canova's new corporate website, designed specifically to showcase its identity and ambitions, highlighting its autonomy and consistent ability to adapt to market needs.

This step confirms the group's commitment to strengthening its presence on the market through its own distinctive channels.