Tommy Brings Coop Italia Products Exclusively To Croatia

Tommy will be the sole Croatian retailer for Coop brands, and by directly importing these products it aims to streamline its supply chain and minimise intermediary costs.

This direct partnership will see Tommy offering Italian staples like pasta, olive oil, cheese, cured meats, ready-made meals, and sweets at competitive prices.

Coop products, known for their quality and simplicity, perfectly reflect Italian cuisine.

The rollout of Coop products commenced in mid-June, with 140 items initially. The company aims to offer 600 SKUs by the end of the year, of which more than 70% will be food products.

Tommy’s board member, Zoran Mikulić, said, “This partnership represents an important strategic shift for us in strengthening our offer and even greater competitiveness and quality of the offer.”

Commercial director of Coop Italian Food, Paolo Bonsignore, added, “As leaders in the marketing of Italian private-label products, we recognised in Tommy a reliable partner for achieving our mission – bringing Italian excellence closer to consumers outside of Italy.

“The Croatian market has great potential, and we are confident that customers will recognize the value we bring to them together with Tommy.”

Coop Italia

Coop, Italy’s largest retail chain, operates as a network of consumer cooperatives managing over 2,000 stores nationwide.

It offers roughly 7,000 own-brand products sourced from over 700 suppliers. The partnership with Tommy aligns with Coop’s broader export strategy, which involves distributing Coop brands across Europe and Asia.

This is Coop’s second attempt to enter the Croatian market, following a brief Ipercoop venture in 2008-2009. The four hypermarkets were subsequently acquired by SPAR.

Tommy

Owned by local businessman Tomislav Mamić, Tommy is a market leader in the Dalmatia region of Croatia and is the seventh biggest nationally with 230 outlets.

Earlier this year, Tommy announced a temporary freeze on price increases, warning importers and distributors that products with higher prices might be removed from their shelves.

Furthermore, the company called on local producers to match their domestic prices with export prices, aiming to provide the best possible prices for Croatian consumers.