For a pet exporter, Conad is less a single channel than a continent-spanning distribution system — Approximately 3,315 points of sale plus 425 concept stores across 107 Italian provinces; international presence includes stores in Albania and Kosovo., a private-label architecture, and buying teams that reward suppliers who arrive audit-ready.
Conad: Scale, Format and Footprint
- Founded: 13 May 1962 in Bologna, by a consortium of Italian independent retailers’ cooperatives; the Conad brand was approved in 1964.
- Founder: A cooperative consortium of independent grocery retailers (not an individual founder).
- Headquarters: Via Michelino 59, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
- Ownership: Consumer/retailer cooperative system; eight large cooperative groups operate under the Conad banner.
- Scale / Revenue: 2024 turnover of €21.1 billion (preliminary), up 4.5% versus 2023; consolidated net worth €3.76 billion.
- Stores: Approximately 3,315 points of sale plus 425 concept stores across 107 Italian provinces; international presence includes stores in Albania and Kosovo.
- Workforce: Close to 78,000 employees.
- Market share: About 15% of the Italian total (14.86% in Hyper + Super + Discount channels, Nielsen).
- Leadership: President Mauro Lusetti; General Manager Francesco Avanzini.
- Territory: Present in every Italian region, giving suppliers balanced national coverage from the Alps to Sicily.
Conad’s 1962 founding in Bologna as a cooperative of independent retailers remains the key to understanding the group. Unlike a centrally owned chain, Conad is a system in which local entrepreneurs own and run stores while eight large cooperatives, PAC2000A, Conad Nord Ovest, CIA, Conad Centro Nord, Conad Adriatico and others, provide purchasing, logistics and brand coordination. That structure yields extraordinary territorial density: Conad is the only Italian brand present in every region and across 107 provinces, which matters for pet suppliers seeking national distribution without the fragmentation of purely regional players. The Bologna headquarters anchors the central functions, while the cooperatives retain local market knowledge that helps tailor pet ranging to regional preferences, for example fish-based diets in coastal areas or specific small-animal needs in particular regions.
Everyday Low Price, Engineered
Conad’s defining feature is its “entrepreneur-managed store” cooperative model: local entrepreneurs own and run individual outlets within a shared national system, while eight large cooperatives (PAC2000A, Conad Nord Ovest, CIA, Conad Centro Nord, Conad Adriatico, and others) provide purchasing, logistics, and brand coordination. This yields a uniquely dense, community-embedded network spanning every Italian region — the only brand with that national footprint.
The banner architecture is broad: Conad, Conad City, Spazio Conad, Sapori & Dintorni, Todis (discount), and the new urban TuDay proximity format. Alongside traditional grocery, Conad is aggressively building specialised channels — pet stores, parapharmacies, opticians, fuel, travel, insurance, and health services — under the “HeyConad” omnichannel ecosystem. In 2024 these specialist activities generated €1.2 billion in turnover. The breadth of formats means pet suppliers can range from value lines in Todis to premium lines in Sapori & Dintorni, all within one cooperative system.
Private label is central: Conad’s MDD reached €6.3 billion in 2024 (33.7% of supermarket sales), up 4.7%, and the group runs a multi-year program with over 700 private-label suppliers targeting ESG goals such as decarbonisation and customer well-being. For pet suppliers, this means a structured, scalable private-label pipeline alongside branded listings. The cooperative model also means that, while national private-label agreements give predictable scale, direct relationships with individual cooperatives unlock regional tailoring and faster experimentation in local markets.
The Pet Aisle at Conad
Pet is an explicitly prioritised growth channel for Conad. Conad PetStore grew +17.8% in 2024, among the fastest-expanding formats in the group, and PetStore outlets are part of the concept-store network (PAC2000A alone operates Conad PetStores among its 109 concept stores). This specialist footprint gives suppliers a dedicated, pet-focused route to the Italian consumer that bypasses the space constraints of the grocery aisle.
Conad’s cooperative structure also supports local and regional pet-product preferences, while its private-label scale invites exclusive own-label development in food, treats, litter, and accessories. The group’s emphasis on value (its discount Todis banner is expanding) plus premium lines means suppliers can position across the full price ladder. Within PetStore, the assortment can be deeper than in grocery, supporting premium nutrition, accessories, aquatics, small-animals and grooming, while the grocery stores capture the high-frequency consumable pet-food and treat shopper. This two-track approach, specialist PetStore for depth and grocery for velocity, lets suppliers build both brand presence and volume.
The cooperative model also shapes how suppliers should engage: because individual entrepreneurs own stores, in-store execution and local assortment can vary by region, so national private-label agreements gain the most predictable scale while direct relationships with the eight cooperatives unlock regional tailoring. Conad’s community roots — present in every Italian region, north to south — give pet suppliers unusually balanced geographic coverage, useful for brands seeking national distribution without the fragmentation of purely regional players. The group’s steady above-market growth and €2.17 billion investment plan signal continued capacity to add new pet SKUs and specialist PetStore outlets through 2027.
Passing the Conad Gate
- Cooperative engagement: Suppliers can work with Conad central for national programs or directly with the eight cooperatives (e.g., PAC2000A, Conad Adriatico) for regional ranging.
- Regulatory compliance: Full EU pet-food alignment (FEDIAF, Regulation 2019/4, 1069/2009) and, for accessories/chemicals, CE marking and REACH. Italian-language labelling is mandatory.
- Certifications: BRCGS/IFS for food; documented traceability and food-safety systems.
- ESG alignment: Conad’s 700-supplier private-label program explicitly targets decarbonisation and well-being — suppliers with environmental credentials gain an edge.
- Promotional partnership: Conad rewards suppliers who co-invest in price and local activation; the HeyConad ecosystem supports digital promotion.
- Format readiness: Be prepared to serve both grocery planograms and dedicated PetStore ranging, including deeper specialist SKUs.
2024-2026: Scale Meets Change
Conad closed 2024 with €21.1 billion in turnover (+4.5%), holding a 15% market share and outgrowing the broader large-scale retail market. Private label hit €6.3 billion, and specialist formats — especially PetStore (+17.8%), TuDay (+5.8%), and Superstore (+5.7%) — drove growth. The group extended its Giro d’Italia sponsorship (the “Maglia Bianca”) for three years, reinforcing national brand visibility.
In 2025 Conad presented a three-year €2.17 billion investment plan (2025-2027) across logistics, renovations, and new openings, framed as a response to Italy’s “permacrisis” of sluggish growth and discount competition. Management expects limited market growth to 2030, with margin pressure from falling purchasing power and discounter expansion, and thus is steering investment into specialist channels (health, wellness, pet, discount) where it can defend share. This strategic tilt toward pet and other specialist formats is a clear signal for suppliers to prioritise the Conad PetStore route.
Digitally, Conad is expanding e-commerce (Conad Centro Nord alone reached 106 e-commerce-enabled stores) and rolling out AI-driven customer tools such as the Virgì virtual assistant within PAC2000A, opening data-rich merchandising opportunities for suppliers. The HeyConad ecosystem ties physical and digital together, letting pet brands target shoppers with personalised offers and loyalty mechanics across the national footprint.
A Realistic Entry Path
- Prioritise Conad PetStore: the fastest-growing specialist format is a direct pet channel with national scale.
- Build a private-label offer: Conad’s 700-supplier MDD program is actively onboarding ESG-aligned partners.
- Engage both central and cooperatives: national programs plus regional (PAC2000A, Adriatico) relationships maximise coverage.
- Bring sustainability data: decarbonisation and well-being are explicit supplier criteria.
- Plan for the discount tier: Todis expansion means value-positioned pet lines are increasingly relevant.
- Leverage digital: HeyConad and the Virgì assistant enable targeted, data-rich pet promotion across the estate.
— Scott Zhu, Founder, GlobalPetIndex
Sources & Related Reading
Related on GlobalPetIndex
- More Market Intel: Retail Channel
- Global Pet Brand Directory
- Carrefour: The Hypermarket Pioneer’s Three-Country Bet and Pet Sourcing Shift
- E.Leclerc: France’s Price-Leader Cooperative and Value-Driven Pet Ranging
- Intermarché: The Federated Musketeers Network and Flexible Pet Sourcing
