40 16-17 May 2017, Milan
Around the world
TALKING UP ITALY Messages from MAPIC Italy 2016 Oscar Farinetti, founder, Eataly: “Italy offers immense business opportunities, both to foreign groups and the Italians themselves. We must invest in our core values: beauty, goodness and creativity. We need to develop the right format for Italy, which is a great investment market. I believe big changes begin from the bottom up, starting with the little things.”
Fabrizio Barale, expansion manager, Tiger Italia: “We have 70 owned stores and, by 2017, we want to reach 100 stores. We’re also taking a big step with e-commerce.”
Marco Almeida, senior international expansion manager, Parfois: “Italy is a magic but difficult market. We currently have a mix of stores, including 12 designer outlet stores. We see huge potential for tourism in Italy and we’re looking for locations that captivate the tourists.”
Alessandro Mazzanti, CEO, CBRE Italia: “We have seen a recovery since 2013 and now we’re back to pre-recession levels, with improved sentiment within the investment market over the past five years — and it’s mostly international investors who have believed in Italy, especially in retail. Our one concern is legislation, which is holding real estate back. Really, Italy’s property market should be analogous to the UK’s.”
Edoardo Favro, managing director, Gallerie Commerciali Italia: “Some believe there is nothing below Rome, but this is simply not true. There are excellent opportunities in the south.” CONFERENCES & EVENTS AT MAPIC ITALY New development projects
Thursday 17 November – 17.30 -19.00 Room 1 - Palais -1
MAPIC Italy brought together major players in the retail real estate industry renewed dynamism of the Italian market and is a clear sign of its potential.” For Massimo Moretti, president of the CNCC, MAPIC Italy was “an extraordinary opportunity to highlight our excellence”. He added: “Italian brands, especially in the field of fashion and food, are desired all over the world. We have finally created a very strong focus on our national retail real estate portfolio, both for existing projects and those in the pipeline. MAPIC Italy was an exceptional showcase to investors already present in Italy and to the many who would like to invest.” Marco Dellapiana, general manager of Swiss fashion retailer Tally Weijl, which aims to expand from around 200 Italian stores to some 400 by 2020, believes the Italian market holds great potential and remains largely untapped. “There is still a strong opportunity
for growth and development, both with standalone sales points and also through working with partners,” he said. Paulo Sarmento, principal of European real estate investment and fund management company Meyer Bergman, was a member of the panel discussion Invest In Italy: Vibrant Assets For Foreign Investments. Sarmento, too, expressed enthusiasm for investment. “I believe the Italian real estate market is one of the most interesting in Europe at the moment,” he said. “It is misunderstood by a significant number of investors but, if you know the market and surround yourself by good local operating partners, you can make good risk-adjusted returns. It’s still a small market, but the potential for growth is very significant.”n Reporting: Mark Faithfull and Isobel Lee
MILAN’S MEGA-MALL HAVING opened Il Centro shortly before MAPIC Italy opened its doors, Francesco Ioppi, real estate manager of Gruppo Finiper, was understandably upbeat about Italian prospects. He believes the 120,000 sq m mega-mall in Arese will act as a catalyst for the former industrial area. “This is a very valuable asset because we want to reclaim this area as an affluent suburb,” he says. “When we were leasing, it was a difficult time to get international retailers to believe in Italy, but we also wanted to persuade local brands this was a great place to reach the Italian consumer. On top of that, some people believe you can’t open a large mall in an e-commerce world.” Notching up one million visitors within its first 17 days of trading, Il Centro looks set to prove the naysayers wrong. “We have created a good feel at the centre, and an experience that suits families,” Ioppi added.
preview magazine I October 2016 I www.mapic.com
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