What Emmeci does

Emmeci S.p.A. is a privately held Italian discount supermarket operator founded in 1989 by Filippo Mazzoleni and the late Dario Corbetta, headquartered in Locate di Ponte San Pietro (Bergamo). It runs a network of 30 physical stores under the MD Discount brand across seven provinces in Lombardy (Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Monza e Brianza, Lecco, Sondrio, Como), each averaging approximately 1,000 square meters of sales area, and employs roughly 300 people. The company pioneered a soft-discount format in Lombardy that blends MD parent-company hard-discount sourcing (including Eurospin and LD Market products) with Emmeci-operated fresh departments (produce, deli, cheese, meat), emphasizing 100% Italian raw materials and DOP/IGP certifications.

The business model is direct-to-consumer grocery retail, generating one-time revenue through product sales across the 30-store footprint. There is no e-commerce channel, mobile app, public API, or disclosed pricing structure; pricing is communicated through weekly promotional flyers (volantini). Emmeci owns no proprietary technology beyond standard retail management systems; its underlying website runs on WordPress. Marketing is conducted via Instagram (@md.emmecispa), multiple local Facebook pages, a corporate LinkedIn presence, and a WhatsApp business line, supplemented by in-store flyers. Real estate for store locations is partially internalized through subsidiary MEGA Srl, which owns 10 properties with an eleventh under construction. Long-term supplier relationships with local DOP/IGP producers (Dolcevalle, Casera Martinelli, Sergio Arrigoni, Salumi Lorenzi, Limonta Prosciutti) reinforce a territorial-product positioning. The company also operates an internal training program called Business School Emmeci.

Name

Emmeci

Legal name

EMMECI SPA

Website

https://emmecispa.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Emmeci S.p.A. is an Italian discount supermarket operator running 30 MD Discount-branded soft-discount stores across Lombardy, employing ~300 people and serving value-conscious consumers with packaged groceries and fresh local DOP/IGP products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Discount Supermarket / Grocery Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (445110), Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Soft Discount / Discount Supermarkets (EDLP) (CRAHADAE)

Keywords

• Discount supermarket
• Grocery retail
• Fresh food departments
• Soft discount
• Local Italian products

Headquarters

HQ city

Ponte San Pietro

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail product sales: Emmeci generates revenue through the sale of food and consumer products across its 30 retail locations. The business model is based on a soft discount format that offers quality products at competitive prices, combining packaged goods with fresh departments including deli, cheese, meat, and produce.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Emmeci operates a network of 30 discount food supermarkets under the MD Discount brand across the Lombardy region in Northern Italy. The company runs a soft discount model that combines hard discount packaged goods with expertise in fresh departments (deli, cheese, meat, and produce), emphasizing 100% Italian raw materials, DOP and IGP certified products, and local territorial specialties at convenient prices.

Product overview

Emmeci SpA is a retail company operating a network of 30 discount food stores (discount alimentari) under the MD Discount brand in Lombardy, Italy. The company operates a soft-discount model combining elements of hard discount with fresh, served or self-service departments. Its product offering includes packaged grocery items (canned foods, beverages, personal care, and household cleaning products) sourced through MD parent company, as well as fresh departments featuring local Italian products such as cold cuts (salumi), cheeses (formaggi), meat (carne), and produce (ortaggi), with emphasis on 100% Italian origin, DOP, and IGP certifications. The stores emphasize territory-linked products at convenient prices with a family-friendly atmosphere. The company also maintains an internal training initiative called Business School Emmeci.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MD: The MD Discount brand under which Emmeci operates its supermarkets, offering quality products linked to the territory at convenient prices

Products and services

• MD Discount Retail Stores Network of 30 discount food supermarkets across Lombardy offering quality grocery products linked to the local territory at convenient prices, combining packaged hard discount goods with fresh departments (deli, cheese, meat, produce) featuring 100% Italian and DOP/IGP products.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MD (MD Discount)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 March 1989Emmeci operates as a franchisee/affiliate under the MD Discount brand. MD provides the brand identity, product sourcing (including Eurospin and LD Market products), and soft discount business model that Emmeci combines with expertise in fresh departments.
• MEGA SrlminorOthersReal estate subsidiary founded by founders Mazzoleni and Crea. MEGA Srl owns 10 properties (with an 11th under construction) that house Emmeci stores, providing vertical integration of real estate assets.
• DolcevalleminorOthersProsciutto producer from Langhirano (Parma). Distributor exclusive of Dolcevalle Parma dry-cured hams for Emmeci stores. Partnership based on providing quality local products to Emmeci customers.
• Casera MartinelliminorOthersProducer of soft cheeses and DOP cheeses from Almè (Bergamo). Has been supplying Emmeci stores for over 30 years, providing quality local cheese products.
• Sergio ArrigoniminorOthersCheese producer and ager from Almè (Bergamo). Dynamic young company investing in artisan quality products with local production.
• Salumi Lorenzi S.p.A.minorOthersSalumiere (cured meat producer) from Comun Nuovo (Bergamo) distributing all major Italian cured meats. Long-standing commercial relationship with Emmeci.
• Limonta ProsciuttiminorOthersExclusive distributor of Dolcevalle Parma hams. Provides high-quality prosciutto products to Emmeci stores.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Conad: Large Italian grocery cooperative with deep presence across regions. Competes with Emmeci in Lombardy through affiliated supermarkets, with broader assortment and scale.
• Esselunga: Premier Northern Italian supermarket chain headquartered in Lombardy. Competes with Emmeci on fresh quality, local sourcing, and assortment, with significantly stronger digital and private-label capabilities.
• Carrefour Italia: Multinational hypermarket and supermarket operator in Italy with significant Lombardy presence. Competes on assortment, fresh, and increasingly on omnichannel capabilities that Emmeci lacks.
• Coop Italia: Major Italian retailer-cooperative operating supermarkets nationwide, including Lombardy. Competes with Emmeci across grocery and fresh categories at greater scale and with stronger brand loyalty programs.
• MD S.p.A. (MD Discount): Parent brand and network under which Emmeci operates. MD provides the brand, sourcing infrastructure, and soft-discount model across a much larger national footprint of directly-operated and affiliated stores.
• Aldi Italia: German-headquartered hard-discount chain expanding aggressively across Northern Italy. Targets the same value-driven customer base as Emmeci in overlapping Lombardy locations.
• Lidl Italia: Leading hard-discount grocer in Italy with national coverage. Competes directly with Emmeci on price-conscious grocery shoppers in Lombardy, though Lidl operates a pure hard-discount format without Emmeci's fresh-department emphasis.

Direct peers

• Eurospin: Italy's largest discount grocery chain. Emmeci previously operated Eurospin-branded stores that were converted to MD Discount, and Eurospin private-label products are sourced through MD — making Eurospin both a historical identity and the closest direct competitor in the Italian discount grocery space.

Regional players

• Bennet: Northern Italian hypermarket chain concentrated in Lombardy and surrounding regions. Closely overlaps Emmeci's operating geography and competes on fresh and grocery assortment at larger format.
• Il Gigante: Lombardy-based supermarket and hypermarket chain. Shares Emmeci's regional focus on Northern Italian consumers and competes on similar fresh and local-sourcing positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/md.emmecispa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emmecispa
• Instagraminstagram.com/md.emmecispa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emmeci