06 July 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Rome looks at the bright prospects for greater trade with Italy’s Autonomous Region of Sardinia through the locally-based company Gruppo ISA. 

Considered as one of Sardinia’s biggest companies with operations in wholesale and retail trade, industrial production, services and agriculture, Gruppo ISA manages 500 affiliates in the region, including supermarkets, warehouse clubs and shopping centers in Sardinia to service the island-region’s 2 million population. The company has a registered capital of 500 million pesos.

During an official visit to Sardinia, Philippine Ambassador to Italy Domingo P. Nolasco met with company’s President Giovanni Muscas joined by other officers of the management, namely Vice President Filippo Muscas, Administration In-charge Michel Elias, and Commercial Director Mauro Meloni. 

Ambassador Nolasco was invited to an on-site visit to one of the group’s flagship stores and main distribution depot for its food and non-food items, both based in the town of Villacidro, located 56 kilometers from Sardinia’s capital of Cagliari.  Majority of the company’s non-food items are imported from Asia and are labeled under the local brand name of Nonna Isa (Granny Isa). Aside from the non-food items, the company also sells its own tomato sauce/puree brand under the same label.

In the discussions, Gruppo Isa was presented with the advantage of zero tariff imports of 6,274 products from the Philippines as one of the few countries listed in the European Union’s preferential trade scheme known as the EU GSP+. 

The official visit to Sardinia was supported by the Philippine Consulate General in Cagliari. END