Spanish drinks business Corporación Hijos de Rivera, the parent of Estrella Galicia, has established a subsidiary in Italy.
In a statement, the group said the Estrella Galicia Italia entity, which started operating earlier this year, “will now manage the commercial development of its products in the country”.
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The move looks to bolster its sales in Italy, which are presently led by its range of Estrella Galicia beers. It added the market also “has great potential for the introduction of new products”.
The business declined to provide further details on its presence in Italy when approached by Just Drinks.
Francisco Ucha, the CEO of Corporación Hijos de Rivera, said: “Having our own subsidiary in Italy will allow us to accelerate our development in a market with enormous potential for our products. Greater reach, proximity, and service capacity will give a boost to our growth in a key country for our international expansion plan.”
The company said it will set up its own warehouses and create “a network of on-the-ground teams in key Italian regions”, allowing it to “facilitate closer, more localised customer service and allow for better brand positioning at points of sale”.
The group also plans to develop “visibility campaigns and initiatives” to build awareness of its products in the Italian market.
Aitor de Artaza, the international business director at Hijos de Rivera, added: “Italian consumers have been very receptive to our offerings since we first entered this market, and now it was necessary to take the next step to meet their demands with investments commensurate with the growth potential of our business in the country.”
The move follows the company’s launch of a UK subsidiary last year.
At the time, it said it had created Estrella Galicia UK as a response to its “exponential growth in sales over recent years” in the country.
Hijos de Rivera started exporting to the UK in 2012. The group then told Just Drinks, the UK is its fifth-largest export market.
Following the creation of its Italian subsidiary, the group now has more than ten subsidiaries outside of Spain. These include Brazil, China, the US and Mexico.
In its annual results, released in June, the business said it grew its turnover by nearly 7% in 2024 to €886m ($1.03bn).
Its beer sales volumes rose 4.6% in the year to 544 million liters, while its waters business achieved 237 million liters in sales volumes, a 3% increase on the year prior.
