Given a bright pink makeover, in a nod to the Italian label’s long-standing affection for colors, the store felt right in step with the effervescence brought by the return of international visitors.
The 8,600-square-foot store had been closed since November, when a fire broke out in the upper floors of the building. While retail spaces were not directly affected, they suffered extensive water damage.
As it stands, the “Pink Box” is a palate cleanser of sorts, as a new retail concept was already in the works. “Pink is a wonderful color but it’s not the only one we have,” he teased.This also marked a new era for Benetton, said Renon, who said the company was seeing double-digit growth compared to 2021 and with the aim of “going as close as [they] can to 1 billion euros in net sales” while increasing profitability above 2019’s figures.
“[The latter] has grown to 60 percent of our turnover, through e-commerce and stores like this one, which is very good. This is part of our strategy to be less and less intermediated by third parties, to make Benetton into a brand rather than a clothing company,” including on the production side, he continued.
And while some 30 percent of its net sales are done through e-commerce, up from around 3 to 4 percent three years ago, Benetton is not about to let up on its physical retailers and own network, which totals some 4,000 stores.