When delivery invests in physical spaces: Winelivery wants to open 80 stores

If in the pandemic period many people were convinced that online and especially delivery were the present and the future, perhaps it was too early to give up on “physical” stores, those where you can meet, show your sign and capable, yesterday as today, of generating business. An example that goes in this direction comes from Winelivery, a company specializing in fast-track wine delivery, which has announced a significant capital raising of 3.5 million euros. A step that translates into the willingness to accelerate the expansion of the company, known for its home delivery service at temperature of wines and spirits, at a territorial level with the new format of “Bar & Enoteca” aiming to open more than 80 points of sale as well as finance the acquisition of a media company synergistic to the group’s activities. Objective? To reach 18 million in sales in 2027. Some of the capital needed for Winelivery’s development plan has already been raised, thanks to investments of 1.5 million euros from existing partners and players such as XEquity and Gellify, which have been lead investors in the company for years.
To date, with 1.6 million downloads (as of June 30, 2023), Winelivery is the most downloaded Italian beverage app. The willingness to focus on physical spaces is also confirmed by the words of Francesco Magro, CEO & founder Winelivery: “we have managed to create a prominent brand on the Italian scene, becoming a case study in the digital world. Now we aim to leverage our brand, our community and our technology to make a difference in the physical world as well with the Bar & Enoteca project” .
The company now aims to accelerate its growth. In the past two post-pandemic years, the company said it has managed to maintain the volumes gained during the pandemic period, and is projected to have a turnover of 18 million euros in 2027 with an Ebitda of more than 4 million euros. To achieve these results, Winelivery will use the capital from the collection to expand the Bar & Enoteca business line, which currently has 4 owned premises already operating in Milan, Rome, and Trani, 3 franchised premises in Parma, Rome, and Andria, and 8 under construction. The goal is to arrive at the end of the plan (2027) with more than 80 stores. In addition to this, Winelivery will invest further in the data&media line, aiming to consolidate its digital marketing agency “Wedia”, which leverages its communities and proprietary data to help corporate clients (from the Wine&Beverage world or related sectors) increase campaign efficiency and make data-driven decisions. In this case, the development plan goes through the acquisition of a media company, which has already been identified and with which negotiations are ongoing. Winelivery’s current raising is done through the instrument of Safe (Simple Agreement for Future Equity).