German drugstore chain dm is accelerating its expansion in Italy, reaching 100 stores and planning to open 15 to 20 new locations each year. The company’s growth strategy reflects confidence in the Italian market, where it has established itself as a key player in the organized retail sector. The expansion focuses on strengthening the brand’s presence in strategic areas, particularly in northern Italy.
Two new stores mark the 100-store milestone
The company, headquartered in Karlsruhe, celebrated its 100th Italian store this summer, a significant achievement given its relatively recent entry into the market. The 99th location opened on July 30 in Savignano sul Rubicone, inside the Romagna Shopping Valley retail park. The 100th store followed just one week later, on August 6, 2025, in Castenaso, a town near Bologna. Both stores have a standardized layout of 550 square meters and employ a total of 23 staff. Additional openings are planned before the end of summer in Brescia, Parma, and Bassano del Grappa.
Dirk Schneider, dm Italia’s expansion director, explained that the goal is to open 15 to 20 new stores annually, prioritizing areas where the brand is not yet present. The strategy targets both shopping districts and residential neighborhoods with high population density to increase proximity to customers.
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Revenue and workforce growth
Italy has become one of dm’s most dynamic markets, with the Italian arm reporting €252 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending September 2025, a 26.4% increase over the previous year. The company’s loyalty app, “La mia dm,” now has 1.26 million registered users, and over 18 million receipts were issued in the past 12 months.
Workforce growth has kept pace with retail expansion, with dm Italia now employing 1,111 people, an 11.7% increase from the previous year. The average employee age is 33, and women make up 86.5% of the workforce. Each store carries roughly 13,000 products, with personal care and organic food categories among the most popular. The company collaborates with around 200 Italian suppliers and stocks over 2,000 Made in Italy products.
The company, owned by the Werner and Lehmann families, entered the Italian market in November 2017 with its first store in Milan’s CityLife district. Since then, dm has invested in logistics, digital services, and its retail network. Benjamin Schneider, managing director of dm Italia, oversees the expansion. While the company remains smaller than competitors like Rossmann or Müller, its rapid growth signals a shift in Italy’s drugstore sector.
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