Carra (Feltrinelli): 'Books are a priority for the country. We will open in Latin America'

Finally, the Education Centre recorded revenues of EUR 8.1 million (+1.5%), with the joint development of Feltrinelli Education and Scuola Holden.

"We recorded a 5% growth in book sales in physical bookshops, if we consider like-for-like data, i.e. excluding the Red's food component," Carra points out. In addition to the numbers, there are also six literary prizes won during the year, including the Campiello and the Bancarella, both won by female authors: the first to Federica Manzon for 'Alma' and the second to Aurora Tamigio for 'Il Cognome delle donne'.

But Carra looks beyond the figures: 'We are concerned that Italy is failing to develop a broader book market. In a country with a cultural depth like ours, it is unacceptable that reading is not a national priority. We do not only need subsidies, we need structural investments. Reading can be taught. And it can also be unlearned'.

Feltrinelli, for its part, continues to open bookshops. "In 2024 we opened four; this year another five. Not only in large centres, but especially in the South and in small towns, where the presence of books is more fragile. In the coming months we will have another opening in a central area of Milan'.

In this context there is an absolute novelty: 'In October we will open in Montevideo, Uruguay, our first Feltrinelli-branded bookstore outside Italy. It will be in the heart of the city, 650 square metres. A cultural stronghold but also a symbol: our gaze is increasingly turned towards South America'. Why Montevideo? 'There is a strong Italian tradition, a lively cultural environment, an active Italian institute. And then a great desire for books. We want to bring our publishing and cultural identity there too'.

Carra does not commit himself, but Uruguay promises to be the first step in a wider expansion in the Latin American area, while in Spain, where Feltrinelli already has a solid publishing presence with the historic Anagrama publishing house, a new bookstore will open in July in Barcelona, through the La Central chain. And after all, that something could begin to move in that area could be guessed as early as last year with the creation of the Feltrinelli S.L holding company in which the Spanish activities were included. Internationalisation could mean M&A, not excluded even in the most 'innovative' activities: the area of audiobooks and podcasts. "I cannot announce anything yet, but the interest is concrete. To think that we are only paper publishers today is short-sighted. Stories must be told on all channels'.

Also in Italy, the focus on acquisitions is alive, in what is the 70th year of business. An anniversary also marked by trade union tensions: last 17 March a strike accompanied the negotiations for the renewal of the company's integrative contract. 'We are discussing. It is part of normal trade union dialectics. However, we are close to reaching an agreement'. By the summer? 'Reasonable'.

As for acquisitions: 'We evaluate projects in line with our values and our way of publishing. We do not buy to buy, but to create value. The entry into Adelphi, for example, was natural, the result of a long cultural proximity between our realities'. There, however, Mondadori also entered, with an option on a further 10% to be exercised by 2027. A move that led to talk of a possible 'war' for Adelphi. "No war. When Mondadori enters we will coexist serenely, with the common objective of strengthening Adelphi'.