It all started in 1960, in Dolianova, when Francesco Murgia and Margherita Piras decided to open an emporium. "On the shelves you could find everything: from food to ammunition for hunters", proudly tells her niece Silvia Massa, who now, together with her cousin Francesco Murgia, leads the Superemme group, with 50 points of sale (33 between Iperpan and Superpan, plus 17 Hardis), sprouted from that small provincial market.

Over the years the family shop has grown to become a company that, in the supermarket sector, today represents 10.4% of the Sardinian market.

«The turning point came in 1975, with“ Supermercati Mp ”, from the initials of the surnames of my grandparents. It was a fairly advanced market for those times, because the "take away" products of fruit and vegetables were also sold, already packaged. Five years later Superemme was founded, with the opening of two stores in Cagliari, in via del Pozzetto and via Castiglione. The sign is replaced with "Pan". From the Greek: everything. The distribution network began to be developed, until the opening of the first hypermarket in Sardinia in Sestu in 1988 ».

Discounters did not exist at the time. What has been your evolution?

“The economic situation of the 1980s was different from the current one. There was no great competition. Today, however, the island is one of the regions with the highest density of square meters dedicated to food distribution per number of inhabitants. The world has changed: forty years ago prices could be remembered by heart, now there are over 15 thousand products in a supermarket, the use of technology is essential ».

The way of shopping has also changed.

«E-commerce has also become a sales channel for supermarkets. We have launched home delivery in 2020. Covid has helped us to accelerate, but the project had already been planned for some time. Home shopping is already a reality in our stores in Cagliari, then it will also arrive in the other stores in Sardinia ».

How will you shop in twenty years?

«My cousin Francesco and I have recently returned from a trip to London, where some companies are experimenting with“ cashless ”shops, without cashiers. You enter through an App, there are cameras that see what you take and then do the bill at the exit. But I don't know if this will be the future: I believe that the human relationship will remain a fundamental element. For now, even the delivery shopping, delivered at home, has a low impact on turnover despite having great potential for development. I also believe that some fundamental aspects of the present will also remain in the future ».

Which?

«The centrality of the territory. Today, in Pan supermarket counters, local products in many categories exceed 20%. Consumers pay close attention to three things: eat healthy, eat well and eat locally ».

They also pay attention to prices, especially in a period when inflation exceeds 11%.

“The impact was also important for our company. We are committed to giving up several percentage points of profitability in order to reduce the negative effects of inflation on customers as much as possible. We have not only worked to curb price growth, but also on timing. If the competitive discounters immediately passed the increases on to the consumer, we have tried to delay this impact by dialoguing with suppliers ».

Is consumption slowing down?

"Yes, volumes decrease slightly but the number of receipts issued has increased, this means that shopping is done more frequently".

How important is sustainability in a group like yours?

«We have published the sustainability report for the second year, even if it is not yet mandatory. We believe that economic, social and environmental sustainability is one of the strategic levers for the present and the future. We have several projects in the field. In 2023 we will open the new administrative office in Cagliari, it will be the headquarters of Superemme, a modern and sustainable building as our supermarkets are and will also be ».

Are new outlets planned?

«In Dolianova, where we keep the company's registered office, we will open a supermarket and a discount store in what used to be the social cellar, which had been abandoned for some time. Then there will be a new inauguration also in Olbia. One of our future goals is the development of the network, which will see the renewal of the sales formats. Some shops will be deeply restructured, as is happening in the Iperpan of Iglesias and has already happened to the one in Carbonia ».

Focus on staff training.

"Very, very much. We have been investing heavily in this aspect in recent years at all levels both in technical training and in "soft skills", personal skills, to develop the resources of our current talents and attract future ones to further grow and evolve the company " .

Michele Ruffi

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