Italy’s La Rinascente will open a new, 189,000 square foot department store in Rome’s central Via del Tritone in early 2015. Similarly-sized stores will open in Venice and Florence.
La Rinascente’s Milan flagship store has undergone a ‘luxury transformation’ similar to stores in France and Germany. More recently, ground-floor boutiques for Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Bulgari and others have opened. Expect similar upscale offerings in Rome and the other two future Rinascente locations.
Three new Italian department store locations point to the potential relevance of department stores in this modern age. Despite financial troubles for some larger-format stores in America and Germany, luxury-focussing department stores are entering a golden age.
We will update you on department store trends in Europe and North America, as we are closely watching expanding retailers such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Galeries Lafayette, Breuninger and others.
La Rinascente website: www.rinascente.it
Louis Vuitton website: www.louisvuitton.com
Dior website: www.dior.com
Gucci website: www.gucci.com
Bulgari website: www.bulgari.com
