Info on food and grocery stores (chain) in Tuscany/Toscana, Italy

(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 17 August 2009)

Here are some links for food and grocery stores (supermarket retail chain operation) in Tuscany/Toscana, Italy:

FOOD AND GROCERY STORES (AKA SUPERMERCATI)

• LISTS
• Business - Grocery shopping – Source: intoscana.it – "Official Tuscany Web Site " – In Chinese, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
• Hyper, Super and Minimarkets – Source: Tuscany Net
• NOTE: The lists above and the following section titled, "GROCERY STORES" are for medium to large chain food retailers in Tuscany and Italy. They are NOT an "alimentari" which is a small neighborhood grocery store (mom and pop or independent grocery store operation).
• Supermercati - Centri Commerciali – This listing is In Italian Only – Source: TuscanyPass.com – "Getting the most out of Tuscany" – English version / Saimicadove.it – "Il Portale per Vivere la Toscana" – Italian Version
• NOTE: This specific listing contains grocery/food stores of all sizes and some are not associated with medium to large scale retail chain operation. This listing is from the Italian version of the web site.
  
• GROCERY STORES IN TUSCANY/IOSCANA: MEDIUM TO LARGE SCALE RETAIL CHAIN OPERATION – Please note: The physical size of the store ranges from small (store front) to very large either stand-alone building or located in a commercial center
  
• Carrefour Italia – In Italian Only – Subsidiary of Carrefour
• On the main page, please click on the "Carrefour" logo at the bottom of the page and then on the next screen, please click on "Dove Siamo" (Where we are) on the dark blue information bar. On the next screen, position your cursor over the Toscana (Tuscany region) and click once. Please position your cursor over the flashing "Carrefour" logo for the address, map location, hours of operation, driving directions, etc. of the Carrefour store in that city.
  
• Conad – In Italian Only
• On the main page, please click on "Scegli la tua provincia" (You choose your province)
  
• COOP, iperCOOP (COOP Italia) – In Italian Only
• On the main page, please click on "Scegli la tua provincia" (You choose your province)
• PLEASE NOTE: Not all COOPs are the same and it can be confusing because the name is the same on all the signs you see and products that you buy in the specific store read COOP. Each COOP or iperCOOP belongs to a cooperative group, e.g., Unicoop Firenze, Coop Centro Italia, etc. and the various COOPs issue loyalty cards for their specific cooperative. Which means if you paid a one-time fee of €25 for a loyalty card for just one person at the COOP (Coop Centro Italia) in Cortona (AR), it is not valid at the iperCOOP (Unicoop Firenze) in Arezzo less than 32 KMs (20 miles) away. Be sure that if you purchase a COOP loyalty card, it is from the COOP that you do the most shopping at. Unlike in the USA, where you get multiple loyalty cards for family members and they are valid across the State or the nation, in Italy, it is entirely different situation.
  
• DESPAR centro italia – In Italian Only – DESPAR ITALIA – part of SPAR INTERNATIONAL
  
• Includes DESPAR or EUROSPAR stores
• From the DESPAR centro italia web page, under "punti vendita" (sale points AKA store locations), please select the "province" in Tuscany/Toscana that you live in and after the screen refreshes, please select the "comune" that you live in, then a page of stores (results) will appear. Please select the store closest to you or the one that you want to go to.
• DIMEGLIO – In Italian Only –
• On the main page under "Trova il supermercato più vicino", please enter your "Comune, località..." and press "Trove" (find)
• In the event it doesn't find your location, another screen will appear with the words "TROVA IL SUPERMERCATO DIMEGLIO PIU VINCINO A CASA TUA" on it and a map of regions where DIMEGLIO has stores located. Please enter your "Regione" (region), "Provincia" (province) and "Località" (locality) OR "Comune/Località" and press "Cerca" (ENTER/RETURN on your keyboard).
  
• Esselunga – Primarily in Italian with some pages in English
  
• On the main page, please click on "Punti vendita" (sale points AKA store locations) and then click on "Dove trovarci, quando siamo aperti" (Where to find to us, when we are open)
  
• EuroSpin Group – "is the largest Italian group in the discount food channel."
• On the main page, please click on "DOVE SIAMO" (Where we are). On the next screen, position your cursor over the Toscana (Tuscany region) and click once. Please position your cursor over the city on the Toscana region map and click once for the address, hours of operation, map location, driving directions, etc. of the store in that city.
• LIDL – In Italian Only – discount supermarket chain, originated in Germany
  
• For stores close to where you live, please click on "Lidl più vicino" on the lower right-side of the Home Page and enter your city and/or your C.A.P. AKA postal code (zipcode)
• Pam – In Italian Only
• On the main page, please click on "dove siamo" (Where we are)
  
• Penny Market – In Italian Only – discount supermarket chain, originated in Germany
• On main page, please click on Negozi (Stores)
• Midal S.p.a Distribuzione Alimentari – In Italian Only
• Includes Gusto sidis, sidisMini, sidis, MaxiSidis, superSidis , Ipersidis, IPERSHOP, Pantamarket
  
• CEDI SISA CENTRO NORD – part of SISA – In Italian Only
• On the main page, please click on "Supermercati" (Supermarkets). On the next screen, with the words "Punti Vendita" (sale points AKA store locations) on it. under the word "PROVINCIA", please select the Italian province you want to go to and press "Conferma" (Confirmation). When the name of the store appears on the next screen, click on the red button with the words "Vai a Scheda" on it, the address and phone numbers for the store will appear on the screen.
  
• Sma S.p.A. – In Italian Only – part of Group Auchan – In English, French
  
• On the main page, please click on "I nostri Supermercati" (Our Supermarkets). On the next screen, position your cursor over the word "Toscana" (Tuscany region) and click once. Please position your cursor over the name of the province on the Toscana region map and click once for the address, hours of operation, etc. of the store in that province.
• Includes Punto,
• STANDA SUPERMERCATI – In Italian Only
  
• On the main page, please click on "punti vendita" (sale points AKA store locations in Tuscany and other regions in Italy). On the next screen, position your cursor over the word "Toscana" (Tuscany region) and click once. Please position your cursor over the red ball with the letter "i" in white on it next to the city in the province for information about the store, which days the specific store is open and hours of operation

RELATED INFORMATION

• ARTICLES
• Getting Food and Groceries in Italian Stores and Markets – By Martha Bakerjian – Source: Italy Travel section of About.com
• Slow Travel – Source: Food Shops within Italy - Instructions for Visitors under the slow travel italy
• Grocery Shopping in Italy (and France) – By Martha S. Taccarino
  
• Shopping at the Large Supermarkets – By Pauline Kenny
  
• BLOG ENTRY
• Grocery Shopping in Tuscany – posted by Holly Jacobsen – Date: Monday, June 8, 2009 @ – Source: Sleeps 5 com (blog) – "travel for families with more than two children" – Web site: Sleep 5 com
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• SEE ALSO:
• Info on some of my blog entries (URLs) for Tuscany/Toscana, Italy *, dated Wednesday, July 22, 2009
• Info on Market Days - Outdoor Markets in Tuscany *, dated Friday, May 16, 2008

* = Blog entry has been updated.

If anyone has any suggestions for other sites and links for reference, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update this blog entry. For your specific interest, please search the web for further information using

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This blog entry is about supermarket retail food chain operation. These stores come in a variety of sizes.

That's it for Wednesday, 12 August 2009: mercoledì, 12 agosto 2009

Ciao, Ben

Moving2Italy2 – #1 source of links About, For or On Italy for those individuals moving, traveling or already living in Italy.

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"E' piu facile sposarsi male che mangiare bene."
"It's easier to end up in a bad marriage than to eat well. "

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Please note: The time listed below for this posting is Central European Time (CET)/ GMT+1.

(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 17 August 2009)