Cocchini (ad Rinascente): 'Not only beauty: 56 million ready to rethink Milano Duomo'
In the second part of 2027 new spaces and a separate beauty hall in the premises of the historic Milan shop: "We also want to bring in new accessory and jewellery brands.
3' min read
3' min read
Fifty-six million euro investment, three thousand extra square metres of sales space that will reorganise the offer of Milano Duomo, the most important (and perhaps iconic) flagship store of the Rinascente group. Which will reopen with a "grand floor" and a beauty hall separated, in the spaces of the former Odeon theatre and cinema, between May 2027 and the end of the same year. Narrating all these projects is Pierluigi Cocchini, ceo of Rinascente since 2017.
The project is still in its infancy and will bring a series of novelties. Can you tell us about them?
"We are creating a district dedicated to beauty beyond beauty, which will for the first time be separate from the main Rinascente Duomo building: it will be entered from Via Santa Radegonda and, for this reason, we will also open a new entrance mirroring the main building. The cosmetics, which currently occupies about 1,200 square metres of sales space including the 300-metre Annex, will be moved entirely there, on an area of over 2,000 square metres divided over three floors. We will ask brands to do unique projects and we will also have an exhibition area which I believe will be suitable for events and product launches. Then there will be four treatment rooms each dedicated to a brand and one shared; an area dedicated to aesthetic medicine: we are looking for a serious partner. Then a food area, indoor and outdoor'.
What will happen to the ground floor of Rinascente Duomo, which is currently dedicated to beauty brands?
"We will completely rethink the ground floor, which will be called "the grand floor" emphasising the grandeur of the space, and the mezzanine, which is currently occupied by the accessories of luxury brands. Our aim is also to expand the areas dedicated to certain brands or to bring luxury accessories and jewellery maisons that are currently missing to Rinascente. We are already in negotiations with some of them'.
The project is ambitious. How much is the investment?
"Approximately 36 million euro for the Odeon, including the investment of the brands in setting up their spaces, and 20 million for the main building.
An important bet at a time that is not good for the fashion and luxury goods sector. How did sales go for Rinascente in 2024?
"Overall, Rinascente hit a new sales record, exceeding one billion euro and up 2% on 2023. But some distinctions must be made: the flagship stores (Milan Duomo and Rome Tritone, ndr) that have a strongly luxury-oriented offer closed with flat or slightly negative sales compared to the year before. On the other hand, the shops that we call regional (Cagliari, Turin, Catania, Florence, Monza, Palermo, Rome Piazza Fiume) and which rely on a local clientele with premium or accessible luxury brands, closed with growth of +18-20 per cent. The best performance was in Cagliari'.
