Benetton to open “numerous” new stores around the world in 2019

Benetton has announced the opening of “numerous” new stores “in the main cities of the world” by the end of 2019 as part of its strategy to revive the brand. The first ones will be opened this Spring/Summer in Benetton’s native Italy, in the cities of Rome, Palermo and Naples, followed by stores in Bangalore, India, and Deauville, France. The label does not disclose how many stores it plans to open in total, neither does it reveal the full list of cities where they will be located.

The new retail locations will feature a store concept called “Light Colors”, conceived by architect Tobia Scarpa. A special lighting system including both direct and indirect light sources will “bring out the happiness of the colors of the displayed products”, in the words of Scarpa in a statement published on Benetton’s website.

Benetton added that the new “Light Colors” concept can easily be adapted to its network of wholesale and franchising stores, which currently includes over 5,000 points of sale worldwide.

This is the latest in a series of steps to boost the ailing Italian brand, which closed 2017 with a record loss of 180 million euros (approximately 200 million US dollars or 155 million pounds). Benetton recently reconnected with the photographer who shot its iconic advertising campaigns in the 1990s, roped in former Salvatore Ferragamo CFO Ugo Giorcelli, appointed French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac to the role of creative director and held its first-ever fashion show. Its efforts were hindered, however, by the collapse of a bridge in Genoa, Italy, which killed at least 43 people last August. Italians were outraged at the Benetton family, as one of its numerous businesses in Italy was responsible for operating the bridge.

Image: United Colors of Benetton store in Düsseldorf, Germany, courtesy of Benetton Newsroom.