Milan, Sept 19 - Esselunga, one of Italy's leading supermarket chains with annual turnover of around 5 billion euros ($7 billion), is for sale, a spokesman said, confirming comments made to newspaper Milano Finanza by the company's head.
"I can confirm (Bernardo) Caprotti's statement to the Italian newspaper -- Esselunga is for sale," the spokesman said on Wednesday.
"It's likely that the subject of the company's future will be on the table at the press conference," he added, referring to an event scheduled for Friday, but declined to give any further comment.
Companies such as supermarket chains usually sell for up to 70 percent of turnover, but Esselunga is a key access point to Italian food retail and could fetch a higher price.
The official subject for Friday's press conference has not been disclosed but Italian media have speculated it might be for the launch of a book by the 81-year-old entrepreneur.
La Repubblica newspaper had said Caprotti could announce the sale of 49 percent of the company to Britain's Tesco on Friday. Tesco declined to comment.
Caprotti has in the past said he could sell the chain or consider a bourse listing, but the latter seems to have slipped from the agenda. He ruled out a sale to Tesco just under a year ago when rumours of a deal were in circulation.
La Repubblica said Caprotti -- who has never held a press conference before -- could attack Italy's cooperative supermarkets on Friday for blocking expansion of his business.
He took out advertisements last October in Italian newspapers to take aim at the cooperatives when there were reports they might make a bid for Esselunga.
Esselunga supermarkets are unusual in Italy for their late night and Sunday openings, for their range of products and large-scale fruit and vegetable offerings.
Caprotti's son Giuseppe quit as chief executive of Esselunga in 2004 amid reports of a row between the two over strategy.