Today, Esselunga and the Italian National Olympic Committee presented, in Milan, at the Viale Famagosta store, the agreement that sees the leading Italian company in large-scale distribution become the official partner of the Italy Team and official supplier of Casa Italia at the XXXII Olympics, which will take place from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo.

The partnership was described during a press conference attended by Sami Kahale, CEO of Esselunga, Giovanni Malagò, President of CONI and six athletes of the Italy Team: Marco Fichera and Enrico Garozzo for fencing, Giorgia Villa and Ludovico Edalli for gymnastics, Arianna Castiglioni and Nicolò Martinenghi for swimming. Also present were the Executive Chairman of Esselunga, Marina Caprotti, the Board Member, Francesco Moncada, the Secretary General of CONI, Carlo Mornati and the Chief Marketing & Customer Officer of Esselunga, Roberto Selva, and the Marketing Director of CONI, Diego Nepi.

For the first time, Esselunga has chosen to support a major sporting event with which it shares the values of Italianness, a healthy and balanced lifestyle, excellence and quality.

Sami Kahale, CEO of Esselunga: “We are really proud to support the Italy Team in the challenge of the Olympics, which we are sure will represent a great moment of recovery for our country. Sport, in all its disciplines, celebrates commitment, the spirit of sacrifice and healthy competition, which take on an even more important role in this historical period and which may stimulate a restart. “This synergy”, concludes the CEO of Esselunga, “is very important for us as an Italian company that focuses on customers, who, together with us, will cheer on our athletes”.

Giovanni Malagò, President of CONI: “This is the first time that CONI has combined its brand with large-scale distribution. Today, we’re doing this with a leading company in this sector, which believes in sport and Olympic values but, above all, which represents the Italian spirit, just as we represent it with our athletes and our athletes from the Italy Team. We are pleased that Esselunga has believed in Coni and we are sure that, together, we will create a great journey that will, during the Tokyo Games, exceed the expectations of Italian sport and of the partners who have trusted in us, such as Esselunga”.

With the support of the Italy Team, Esselunga adds another piece to its commitment to customers, the community and the territory, which are some of the pillars of its sustainability strategy. Sports have always evoked attention towards good and proper nutrition that Esselunga, a food company as well as a retailer, promotes both in its range to its customers and in its design of special initiatives. On the shelves of Esselunga’s stores, customers can, in fact, find a wide choice of branded products ranging, for example, from the Equipoise Line, designed to meet specific nutritional needs, to the CheJoy line for children, to help support a balanced diet and which is also fun, at the same time.

Esselunga is also engaged in research to improve the nutritional properties of the products it makes directly, by reformulating its recipes, reviewing its portions and paying the utmost attention to quality. Its food education initiatives include the Super foodies project, the superheroes inspired by the world of fruit, vegetables and healthy diet, created to increase awareness of what we eat, especially amongst children, but also amongst parents, through play. Esselunga’s partnership with CONI confirms its willingness to support the Italian spirit, a commitment that takes the form of encouraging the growth of the local economy by promoting the supply of Made in Italy products, enhancing local interests and regional productions.