Dimar

What Dimar does

Dimar S.p.A. is a privately held Italian organized retail distribution (GDO) operator founded in 1975 and headquartered in Roreto di Cherasco, Cuneo province. The company runs a multi-format retail network spanning Piemonte and Liguria under multiple banners — Mercatò (the unified flagship superstore brand encompassing Mercatò, Mercatò Extra, Mercatò Big, and Mercatò Local formats), Supermercati Maxisconto, OK Market (franchise), Dimar Cash and Carry (wholesale), and Benspeso (a 2025-launched discount format dedicated to the Ho.Re.Ca. sector). It serves three distinct customer groups: general consumers (B2C grocery), Ho.Re.Ca. businesses (shops, restaurants, hotels, bars supplied via wholesale and Cash & Carry), and franchise partners operating OK Market stores.

The company operates a centralized logistics platform anchored by a 30,000 sqm distribution center in Roreto di Cherasco (with the original CEDI in Genola now consolidated into it), supplemented by digital infrastructure including the CosìComodo e-commerce platform (home delivery and click-and-collect), the Mercatò Drive service, the MyMercatò loyalty app (iOS/Android), and the Spesa&Go autonomous checkout solution for loyalty members. Its private-label portfolio is built around the Selex group brands (Saper di Sapori, Natura Chiama, Vivi Bene, Primi Anni, Amico Mio, Casa Bella Selex) and the territorial "Da Noi a Noi" line that aggregates regional Piedmontese and Ligurian producers.

Dimar is a member of Selex Gruppo Commerciale — described as Italy's first organized modern distribution group — which provides collective purchasing power, private-label access, and shared consulting/training services under a partnership dating to 1980. The company employs 4,395 people at end-2024 (91.88% on permanent contracts), operates across two Italian regions, and derives revenue from physical retail sales, wholesale (Cash & Carry), franchise fees (OK Market), e-commerce transactions, and private-label product sales. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Recent strategic activity has centered on launching the Benspeso Ho.Re.Ca. format (2025), publishing the first Sustainability Report (2024), and continuing e-commerce buildout; two known M&A transactions — Gruppo Alpi (2000) and Gruppo Valenza (2015) — were followed by consolidation under the Mercatò brand identity between 2016 and 2017.

Name

Dimar

Legal name

Dimar S.p.A.

Website

https://dimar.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Dimar S.p.A. is a privately held Italian multi-format grocery retailer operating across Piemonte and Liguria under banners including Mercatò, Maxisconto, OK Market, Dimar Cash and Carry, and Benspeso. It serves general consumers, Ho.Re.Ca. businesses, and franchisees as a member of Selex Gruppo Commerciale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grocery Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (445110), Convenience Retailers (445131), Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Convenience Stores (5412), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Hard Discount Neighborhood/Small-Box Formats (CRAEAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Convenience Retail with Quick-Service Foodservice (Hot Food/Prepared) (CRANAJAI), Hard Discount Private-Label-Led Discounters (CRAEAIAD)

Keywords

• Grocery retail
• Supermarket operations
• Cash and carry
• Franchise retail
• Private label food

Headquarters

HQ city

Cuneo

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Revenue from physical retail store operations across multiple formats including hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, and discount stores in Piemonte and Liguria regions
2. Cash & Carry Wholesale: Wholesale distribution to businesses including shops, restaurants, hotels, and bars through Dimar Cash and Carry outlets
3. Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchising model through OK Market network with affiliated store operators
4. E-commerce Sales: Online grocery sales through CosìComodo platform with home delivery and click-and-collect services
5. Private Label Products: Revenue from Selex branded products and Da Noi a Noi local product lines sold through retail network

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dimar S.p.A. is a multi-format grocery retailer operating hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, discount stores, and cash & carry wholesale outlets in Piemonte and Liguria, Italy. The company sells food, beverages, and household products through its own store brands (Mercatò, Maxisconto, OK Market, Benspeso, Dimar Cash and Carry), complemented by private label lines (Selex, Da Noi a Noi), loyalty programs, self-service checkout technology, and an online grocery platform with home delivery and click-and-collect services.

Product overview

Dimar S.p.A. is a large organized retail distribution company (GDO) operating since 1975 in Piedmont and Liguria, Italy. The company operates multiple retail formats under various brands including Mercatò (main brand with Extra, Big, Local variants), Supermercati Maxisconto, OK Market (franchise), Dimar Cash and Carry, and Benspeso. It offers private label products through Selex brand (food, organic, wellness, baby care, pet care, home care lines) and Da Noi a Noi (local products). Digital services include the MyMercatò loyalty program, Spesa&Go self-checkout, CosìComodo e-commerce platform, and MyMercatò mobile app. The company is part of the Selex Gruppo Commerciale consortium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mercatò Main retail brand operating 1,800+ sqm supermarkets and superstores in Piemonte and Liguria, offering food and consumer products with a focus on local excellence and fresh products.
• Mercatò Extra Large-format supermarket brand offering extended product assortment and competitive pricing for consumers.
• Mercatò Big Large surface hypermarket format (5,000+ sqm) with peripheral locations, commercial galleries, and extensive food and non-food offerings.
• Mercatò Local Small-format neighborhood supermarket designed for convenient daily grocery shopping.
• Supermercati Maxisconto Convenience-focused discount supermarket chain (~600 sqm) offering value pricing and good quality-to-price ratio.
• OK Market Franchise Franchise network of small-format grocery stores (200-500 sqm) in Piemonte and Liguria, operated by family entrepreneurs under the OK Market brand.
• Dimar Cash and Carry Wholesale cash and carry format serving shops, restaurants, hotels, bars, and other businesses in the territory.
• Benspeso Discount retail format offering daily convenience with consistently low prices and over 1,500 Ho.Re.Ca.-dedicated references, targeted at both consumers and Ho.Re.Ca. businesses.
• Selex Private Label Products House brand product lines including Saper di Sapori (Italian tradition), Natura Chiama (organic), Vivi Bene (wellness), Primi Anni (baby care), Amico Mio (pet care), and Casa Bella Selex (home care), sold through Dimar's retail network.
• Da Noi a Noi Local Products Local products initiative valorizing regional producers and biodiversity in Piemonte and Liguria, promoting short and controlled supply chains for territorial products.
• Carta Club Mercatò Loyalty Program Loyalty card program offering dedicated promotions, extra discounts, prizes, and exclusive services to regular Mercatò customers.
• Spesa&Go Self-Checkout Self-service shopping service for loyalty card customers enabling autonomous shopping with mobile scanning and instant payment without going through checkout lanes.
• CosìComodo E-commerce Online grocery shopping platform allowing customers to order from home and pick up at stores (click-and-collect) or receive home delivery.
• MyMercatò Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing access to the loyalty card, online shopping, exclusive offers, and shopping convenience features.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,395 employees with 91.88% permanent contracts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Selex Gruppo CommercialeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1980Strategic partnership since 1980 providing major purchasing power toward suppliers, competitive pricing support, and access to Selex private label products. Selex is Italy's first organized modern distribution group. Provides consulting and training for development, marketing, and organizational evolution.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves19 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Carrefour Italia: Multinational retailer operating hypermarkets (Carrefour Iper), supermarkets (Carrefour Market), express (Carrefour Express) and franchised stores in Italy. Comparable as a multi-format GDO with comparable private-label and digital initiatives; broader geographic reach than Dimar.
• Lidl Italia: German hard-discount entrant with 700+ stores across Italy, rapidly expanding to large-format stores. Comparable to Benspeso and Maxisconto on price positioning, with substantially greater scale and pan-European supply-chain leverage.
• Esselunga: Italian premium supermarket chain with strong private-label (Esselunga Bio, Verso Natura) and full omnichannel (e-commerce, click-and-collect, app). Comparable as a digitally mature, multi-format grocery operator with deep loyalty programs; larger than Dimar but northern-Italy focused.
• Coop Italia: Largest Italian retail cooperative with hypermarkets (Ipercoop), supermarkets (Coop), and discount (InCoop/In's) nationwide. Comparable multi-format GDO competitor with broader geographic coverage and similar private-label emphasis.

Direct peers

• Despar Italia: Consortium of regional Italian grocers (Despar, Eurospar, Interspar) operating supermarkets and hypermarkets under a shared banner and purchasing model. Closely mirrors Dimar's consortium-affiliated, multi-format structure inside the Selex-style umbrella.
• Conad Consorzio Nazionale Dettaglianti: Italy's largest cooperative grocery consortium, operating supermarkets, hypermarkets, and discount (Conad City, Conad Superstore, Conad Ipermercato, Spazio Conad, Conad, Margherita) across all Italian regions. Directly comparable to Dimar as a multi-format, consortium-organized GDO operator with shared private-label strategy.
• Eurospin: Italy's leading national hard-discount grocery chain with 1,200+ stores under Eurospin and Eurospin Interspar. Directly comparable to Dimar's Maxisconto and new Benspeso discount formats, and a primary competitor for price-sensitive share in Dimar's home regions.
• Bennet (Gruppo Finiper): Italian hypermarket chain (Bennet, Iper Bennet) plus Unes supermarkets, focused on northern/central Italy. Comparable to Dimar's Mercatò Big hypermarket and Mercatò superstore formats, with similar regional concentration and multi-banner identity.
• Selex Gruppo Commerciale (consortium peers): Dimar's own consortium umbrella — comparable Selex member companies (e.g., Megamark in Puglia, Il Gigante in Lombardy, Arena in Sicily) operate multi-format GDO under the same Selex private label and shared purchasing terms, making them the most directly comparable family of peers.
• MD SpA: Italian discount grocery chain (MD Discount) operating 800+ small-box stores focused on value. Comparable to Dimar's Maxisconto (600 sqm discount) and OK Market (200–500 sqm) small-box format playbook, competing for the same neighborhood, price-sensitive shopper.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dimar-s.p.a.
• Facebookfacebook.com/251989981574839
• Instagraminstagram.com/mercatocentro

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

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 Dimar