This is the latest installment of The Packer’s Market Crush, a series featuring retail produce purveyors who are crushing it when it comes to dynamic displays that drive shoppers to buy. You can view other Market Crush stops through the map at the bottom.
VENICE, Italy — After cruising along the canals (a first-time tourist requirement), I wandered the labyrinth of charming cobblestone streets and spotted something familiar: A supermarket brimming with fresh produce.
Welcome to a pictorial of Despar supermarket in Venice, Italy.
While this store in the heart of Venice — which I stumbled upon during an April 2019 vacation — was smaller, of course, than a typical suburban U.S. supermarket, there was a chain-like consistency.
And it is quite a chain.
Spar Italy, known locally as Despar Italia, opened its first store in 1960 after joining Spar in 1959. By 2022, the Despar Partners operated 1,404 stores under three formats: Despar Neighbourhood Supermarkets, Eurospar Supermarkets and Interspar Hypermarkets. Spar has stores across Europe and the British Isles.
At this location, I was fascinated in how the produce variety, packaging and displays were a bit different than what I see at home. But many trends are universal.
While much of the area felt almost like a tourist trap, this store gave a glimpse of the everyday reality of Venetian life. Like Manhattan stores, it was cramped but contained the necessities, plus extras for adventurous food shoppers and impulse buys.
I’m hoping some of these displays were not refrigerated, as we know that can ruin tomatoes and potatoes. Likely it wasn’t, as the turnover would be so fast with these smaller quantities that the items that typically need refrigeration, like leafy greens, wouldn’t suffer before making it to the home fridge.
Some citrus still had its leaves, which lent a more natural feel. The black woven baskets made the vibrant citrus colors pop.
The importance of restocking to maintain that bountiful, full feeling is even more key when the store is in such a high-trafficked area as this store in the heart of Venice. And packaged produce was definitely a popular offering.
Organic bananas and apples were featured fully over-wrapped in paper trays.
And Venetians must also demand cut fruit, fresh juice and functional juice shots because those were displayed prominently as well at this store.
More Market Crush
Check out our market visits worldwide on the map below. Zoom and click on a location to view a link to its own page. You can also view the map in a larger window by clicking “Open Map” in the bottom right. (And don’t forget to send location suggestions to us at news@thepacker.com!)
