En route to Italy

El Corte Inglès, the largest hypermarket operator in Spain, intends to enter the Italian market, according to a report in the Handelsblatt newspaper. The first locations are to open in Milan and Rome. Up till now the company has only been active in Portugal outside of Spain. It enjoys what is almost a monopoly position for its stores in Spain. They have extremely big DIY departments, and the know-how gained here is to be concentrated in Bricor, an independent DIY marketing channel, which is due to be launched before the end of this year.