Milan: Hoepli launches a crowdfunding campaign to reopen the historic bookshop

There are 250 so far, but “lots of people are still getting in touch”, say the organisers of the campaign. Milan is rallying to reopen the historic Hoepli bookshop, which closed in May. A bid has been submitted and a crowdfunding campaign is set to launch. The ball is now in the court of the liquidator, Laura Limido, who – according to unconfirmed press reports – is said to have received a second proposal from a publishing house. In that case, she will have to decide not only between two different business plans, but between two distinct prospects: on the one hand, reopening Italia’s most important independent bookshop with a broad shareholder base; on the other, selling the brand and staff to a chain. There are no deadlines, but a swift decision is expected; meanwhile, separate negotiations are under way regarding the lease of the premises in Via Hoepli, behind the Duomo, owned by Matteo, Giovanni and Barbara Hoepli.

“In Italia, independent bookshops account for just 10 per cent of the market, and Hoepli was the one with the highest turnover,” Vittorio Graziani, the driving force behind Centofiori and at the forefront – alongside lawyer Monica Colombera – in the campaign that led to the formation of a company and the development of a project “bucking the trend: it would be unique to reopen a bookshop in the same location under the same name, in the city centre from which so many are moving away”, he explains to groups of potential investors. The model outlined in the business plan draws on famous independent bookshops such as Waterstones Piccadilly in London or La Central in Barcelona, with the aim of turning the bookshop into a cultural hub, as well as a place for people to gather thanks to its spacious events area. This is also why the project is being followed with interest by Palazzo Marino and has been hailed by Mario Calabresi, the prospective mayoral candidate, as the ‘hope’ of healing a wound.

The minimum funding target has been set at 4.5 million, to refurbish and launch the bookshop, which they estimate will break even in two years. Nineteen staff members are planned. Professionals, well-known figures from the publishing world, entrepreneurs of all kinds and ordinary citizens – including young people – have already come forward to make the initial subscription of 200 euros. If the offer is accepted, even major investors will be able to confirm their interest with contributions of up to 100,000 euros, as provided for under the crowdfunding scheme.

The bookshop is just one of the company’s business divisions, separate from the publishing arm. The educational bookshop division has already been sold to Mondadori, which currently owns the ‘Hoepli 1870’ bookshop brand, licensed to the company in liquidation. With the transfer of the bookshop, the brand is also transferred.