Vienna - Rewe subsidiary Billa continues to fall in Italy. In 2013, nine stores had to close and 2014 is expected to remain challenging, reports the Austrian newspaper Wirtschaftsblatt on its website. Billa has been feeling the effects of the heavy consumption crisis in Italy; sales in 2013 dropped by 2.52%, down to 1.92 billion Euro, compared to the previous year.
After Rewe sold 43 Billa supermarkets in Italy to the Italian retail group Conad, even more stores had to be handed over. The number of stores currently stands at 453; the number of employees, however, has grown. Billa had 7135 employees in Italy in 2013; 139 more than in 2012.
"The concentration process currently underway, which focuses on Northern Italy, is paying off. We are therefore satisfied with the 2013 fiscal year. For 2014, we expect a challenging year; however, we are well positioned and look optimistically to the future," said a spokesman for Rewe International AG.
