Trade & Consumer Goods

For many businesses, the Corona pandemic is working like a booster for digital transformation. A good example for the accelerating effect of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is provided by Desa Srl, the leading food retailer in Rome and the surrounding area. The Italian supermarket chain started a delivery service during the lockdown and is now developing its own e-commerce channel. At the same time, the family-managed enterprise is continuing its regional expansion, opening an average of three new stores every year.

Everybody is talking about hygge these days, but only a few are familiar with fika, the Scandinavian way to take a coffee break. Surprisingly, people in the Nordic countries drink more coffee than anyone in the world, even the Italians. Good coffee and good coffee machines are of utmost importance for a relaxed fika – coffee machines from Jura Sweden AB for instance.

Climbing up a ladder, regardless if this happens daily as part of a job or rarely to pick cherries, change a light bulb, hang a decoration or fix the roof, is potentially dangerous and an easy way to injure yourself. The better to be on the safe side with ladders designed and made by Telesteps AB from Sweden. The company’s safe and sturdy ladders are often copied yet still second to none.

Huge changes are afoot at office supplies specialist Staples Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG. Its holding company, Staples Solutions in Amsterdam, recently announced the sale of the German retail stores and online business, leaving the company free to focus exclusively on the complex and demanding wholesale B2B contract market.

Good nutrition and high-quality ingredients for cat and dog food were the prerequisites for Baldassare Monge when he set up Monge & C. S.p.a. in 1963. Mr. Monge was the first to produce wet pet food in Italy and has always done things differently from most competitors in the pet food market. A move that has paid off, as today Monge is the leading name for cat and dog food in Italy, ranking among the top ten in Europe and taking 27th position worldwide. Monge produces healthy and tasty cat and dog food for the global market, serving customers in more than 90 countries.

Recent years have seen a steep surge in traveller numbers, and statistics show this development is likely to continue. At the same time, travel retail has experienced equally strong growth as mirrored by the development of Dufrital S.p.a., a subsidiary of the leading global travel retailer, the Dufry Group. Today, travel retailing is even outperforming sales on the local high street. It seems that shopping while travelling has turned into an unmatched experience.

Wristwatches have become a standard accessory in most people’s wardrobes. Aside from the functional aspect, watches are also fashionable and reveal the wearer’s style, making it essential to find just the right timepiece for your wrist. Many people today even have more than one watch to have the perfect timepiece to complement each ensemble. Italjapan S.r.l. based in Milan is a wholesaler of exquisite watches that are both functional and fashionable. The family-owned and operated company supplies 90% of its range to Europe and beyond with the brands that keep everyone’s wrists in the spirit of the time.

Converting fibrous substances into finished products is a demanding process. Roto-cart Spa in Piombino Dese, Italy, masters the entire manufacturing process. As a result the Italian enterprise has emerged as a leading tissue converter, whose products stand out in the Italian and international market for the accurate selection of raw materials and the state-of-theart technology they are made with. Roto-cart focuses on the premium market segment and offers top-quality pure cellulose products such as toilet paper, kitchen towels, multi-purpose paper rolls, napkins and tissues that feature high functional value and softness on the skin. Innovative achievements such as the new “Cartamela” paper made of pure cellulose with the addition of apple document the company’s aim to respond to customers’ wishes and contribute its own part to a better future.

The internet marketplace eBay is one of the pioneers of online shopping and one of the big success stories of the internet bubble of the late 1990s. Its phenomenal success paved the way for other internet shopping portals, many of which started out as specialist shops on eBay. One of them is Newpixel 24 S.r.l. in Italy. The online shopping portal for electronic equipment started life on eBay but soon grew big enough to merit its own dedicated site.

The European DIY industry has been negatively affected by the economic recession. The sharpest sales declines have been experienced in Southern European countries, although some countries, like Italy, have managed to remain in line with average EU sales density. Italian DIY retailers are increasingly requesting specialized services like market positioning, and this is where Mercury Services comes into the picture.