About this report
 
The mixed goods retailers’ market in Italy has risen by 10,6% since 1999 in Italy, outperforming all retail sales and non-food retail sales. Despite the high fragmentation of the mixed goods sector in Italy, the country’s department store sector is dominated by two groups, Gruppo Rinascente and Gruppo Coin.
 

 
Recently, a combination of factors such as under-investment and a weak retail strategy have destabilised the leading department stores, which now seem to be up for sale.
 

 
The department stores’ offer in Italy is focused on clothing, but cosmetics, homewares and accessories are also important. Although several retail sectors are underperforming in relation to department stores, they should eventually recover with the improvement of the Italian economy.
 

 
Using the latest market size data and trend analysis, this report provides vital new insight into the current state of the market and its prospects.
 

 
In addition, Mintel’s retail analysts provide an incisive review of the operational strengths, weaknesses and sales performance of the market’s leading retailers. Mintel’s findings offer you a unique way of understanding the prospects for department store retailers in Italy, enabling you to accurately evaluate the market for successful investment strategies. Use Mintel’s research to avoid market pitfalls, discover sector opportunities, identify growth potential and achieve the best possible results.
 

 
Should you wish to order more than one market report, please call us to discuss potential multiple-purchase discounts.
 

 
`` Department Store retailing in Italy`` is part of ``Department Store retailing in Europe``, a Retail Intelligence title. Should you wish to order more than one market report from with the title, please call the Mintel Information Team to discuss potential multiple-purchase discounts.
 

 

Contents
 

 
Executive Summary – Italy
 

 
Italy’s mixed goods retail sector sales rise
 
Rinscente and Coin dominate
 
Sector reaches crossroads
 
Leading players up for sale
 
Limited international activity
 
Product offer dominated by clothing
 
Sector forecast to grow
 
European Summary
 
European mixed goods retailing sector
 
Sector value and trends
 
Figure 1: European mixed goods retailing: Sector sales by country, 1999 and 2004e
 
Leading retailers
 
Ranked by sales
 
Figure 2: Leading European department store retailers: Ranked by sales, 2003
 
M&S, a hybrid operator, leads the rankings
 
Winners…
 
…and losers
 
Figure 3: Leading European department store retailers: Sales performance, 1999 vs 2003
 
Huge variation in sales densities
 
Figure 4: Leading European department store retailers: Ranked by estimated sales densities, 2003
 
M&S in pole position
 
Luxury stores excel
 
Full assortment also delivers good productivity
 
But German, Dutch and some smaller British operators underperform
 
Outlets and space
 
Figure 5: Leading European department store retailers: Outlet numbers and space, 2003
 
New store development
 
Corporate activity – 2003 and 2004
 
Figure 6: European department store retailers: Major acquisitions, 2003
 
Moving to private ownership
 
2004
 
Some product and marketing trends
 
Targeting younger shoppers
 
Menswear enjoys more attention too
 
Foodhalls gaining popularity
 
Flexing the mix to chase gross margins
 
More focus on own-label
 
Smaller UK players follow the trend too
 
Vroom & Dreesman consolidates its own-label
 
International and retail brands still key for some
 
Themed events
 
E-commerce
 
Figure 7: Leading European department store retailers: E-commerce facilities, 2004
 
Customer loyalty schemes
 
Loyalty schemes become more commonplace
 
But do they create genuine ‘emotional loyalty’
 
Figure 8: European department stores: Loyalty schemes, 2004
 
European Outlook
 
Upcoming corporate activity
 
Italy in a state of flux
 
Allders for sale…
 
…and Karstadt scales back in Germany
 
Store plans
 
Figure 9: European department store retailers: Planned openings and closures
 
But are property assets worth more than trading operations?
 
Figure 10: European department stores: Leading retailers sales and profits performance, 2003 vs 2002
 
Sector sales forecasts
 
Figure 11: European mixed goods retailing: Sector sales and forecasts by country, 2004 and 2009
 
Figure 12: Mixed goods retailers as % all retailer sales, 1995-2009f
 
Figure 13: Sector sales growth forecast, by country, 1999-2004e, 2004e-09F
 
Report Scope
 
2005 content change
 
The sector
 
Department store definition
 
Countries and companies covered
 
Accounting policy
 
Background Data – Italy
 
Population
 
Figure 14: Italy: Population trends, 1999-2002
 
Figure 15: Italy: Population, by age group and sex, January 2002
 
Figure 16: Italy: Households, by number of members, 1981-2002
 
Figure 17: Italy: Population, by region, January 2001 and 2002
 
Figure 18: Italy: Major cities, 2001 and 2002
 
Economy
 
Figure 19: Italy: Gross domestic product, 1995-2003
 
Figure 20: Italy: Consumer prices, 1997-2003
 
Figure 21: Italy: Consumer expenditure, 1995-2003
 
Figure 22: Italy: Detailed breakdown of consumer expenditure, 1999-2003
 
European Consumer Trends
 

 
Figure 23: Europe: Department store visiting patterns, 2004
 
Figure 24: Europe: Usage of department stores, by age, 2004
 
Success with younger customers
 
Figure 25: Europe: Breakdown of department store customers, by age, 2004
 
Department Stores in Italy
 
Background
 
Sector history
 
La Rinascente up for sale
 
Gruppo Coin seeks buyer
 
International activity
 
Legislative and property issues
 
Sector value and trends
 
Figure 26: Italy: Mixed goods retailers’ sales, 1999-2004
 
Figure 27: Italy: Mixed goods retailers, relative performance, 1999-2004
 
Outlet and enterprise data
 
Figure 28: Italy: Department and variety stores – outlet and space data, 1991-2001
 
Figure 29: Italy: Department and variety stores outlet data, by region, 1998 and 2001
 
Products
 
Product market growth
 
Product mix
 
Mixed goods stores in shopping centres
 
Figure 30: Italy: Major shopping centres, January 2004
 
Leading Specialists
 
Figure 31: Italy: Leading mixed goods retailers, 2002/03
 
Market shares
 
Figure 32: Italy: Leading mixed goods retailers, market shares, 2003
 
Prospects and Forecasts
 
Prospects
 
Forecasts
 
Figure 33: Italy: Mixed goods retailers’ sales, 2004-09
 
Figure 34: Italy: Mixed goods retailers’ sales as % of all retail sales, 1999-2009
 
Major Company Profiles
 

 
Gruppo Coin
 
Market shares
 
Figure 35: Coin Department Stores: Share of Italian mixed goods retailers’ sales, 1999-2003
 
Background
 
History
 
Corporate structure and 2003-05 business plan
 
Department stores division
 
International expansion
 
Financial data
 
Figure 36: Coin Department Stores: Financial performance, 1999/2000-2003/04
 
2004/05 interim results
 
Outlets
 
Figure 37: Coin department stores: Outlet data, 1999/2000-2003/04
 
Products
 
Figure 38: Coin Department Stores: Sales mix, 2003/04
 
Loyalty scheme
 
E-commerce
 
SWOT
 
Gruppo Rinascente
 
Market shares
 
Figure 39: Gruppo Rinascente: Sales as percentage of mixed goods sector sales in Italy, 1999-2003
 
Background
 
History
 
Change of ownership
 
Ifil sell its food interests
 
Department stores division to be sold too
 
Financial data
 
Figure 40: Gruppo Rinascente department stores: Sales perfomance, 1999-2003
 
Outlets
 
Figure 41: Gruppo Rinascente department stores: Store numbers, 1999-2003
 
La Rinascente
 
Figure 42: La Rinascente, department store locations, 2003
 
Upim
 
Products
 
La Rinascente
 
Upim
 
E-commerce
 
SWOT