The international retail alliance Epic, led by Germany’s Edeka, is parting ways with one of its members. The Italian retail chain Esselunga is no longer affiliated with the group.
The partnership lasted a little over two years, but it has now come to an end. Esselunga’s membership in Epic Partners — an alliance established in 2021 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland — has been terminated. With Esselunga's exit, the alliance loses over €9 billion in net annual turnover.
In the context of the overall consortium, Esselunga represented one of its smaller players. Alongside Edeka, Epic includes Dutch grocery services Picnic and Jumbo, Swiss retailer Migros, the Portuguese group Jerónimo Martins and Aura Retail — comprising Intermarché, Casino, and Auchan.
Acting on behalf of its members, Epic negotiates continent-wide marketing incentives such as preferred product placements and coordinated discount campaigns, aiming to secure cross-border benefits from suppliers. Gianluigi Ferrari, Epic’s chief negotiator, leads these talks under a unified strategy adopted by all alliance partners — a process that, at times, involves pressuring suppliers with order suspensions to gain leverage.
The most recent shift in membership took place at the beginning of the year, when Edeka significantly strengthened Epic’s position by onboarding Aura Retail — a heavyweight with €65 billion in turnover — through Epic and its associated international purchasing organisation, Everest. This move followed the departures of French retailer Super U and Swedish group ICA in early 2024.
Both ICA and Super U are said to have benefited from the enhanced commercial terms negotiated by Epic. But in the event of conflicts with major A-brand manufacturers, members must show solidarity. Last year, the two retailers decided to leave because they did not cooperate enough to collectively put pressure on large manufacturers. This led to friction with other members.