Rimadesio turns 70 and doubles its Giussano headquarters

It was 10 September 1956 when Francesco Malberti - who only five days before had turned 21, the age of majority at the time - founded the RiMa glassworks with Luigi Riboldi in Giussano, in the heart of Brianza. The young Malberti had worked for his uncle for years and, having come of age, decided to strike out on his own. In the 1980s, he took over 100% of the shares of the company, which in the meantime had been renamed Rimadesio and which today, managed by Francesco's two sons - Luigi and Davide - is one of the best-known realities of Italia design, positioned in the high-end segment, with 320 employees and a turnover that reached 88.6 million in 2025. A positive result, especially taking into account the not easy economic and political context, up from 86 million in 2024.

"We continue to grow in a sustainable manner, focusing above all on the quality of distribution, which for us is based above all on a qualified network of single-brand showrooms, managed directly or through partners, which do not limit themselves to selling products, but are involved in doing interior design," explains ceo Davide Malberti. The 2025 order stood at EUR 88.9 million, registering a growth of 3.4% compared to 2024, mainly supported by the performance of the international markets, which registered an overall increase of 8%. Among the most dynamic geographies is the Far East, in particular China and India, so much so that the establishment of Rimadesio China is planned for 2026, accompanied by the opening of the sixth directly managed flagship store in Shenzhen at the end of the year. New monobrand shops (in partnership with selected dealers) are also planned in strategic cities such as Tokyo, Vienna, Johannesburg, Chicago and Dubai.

The crisis in the Middle East, of course, is worrying, not least because it is added to the already complex situation in the Russian market and the stalemate in the US market due to tariffs. 'There is a general slowdown in purchasing decisions,' explains Malberti. 'Our good fortune, however, is to work in an enlarged international market and this guarantees us continuity in orders. To date we have an average order intake and we expect 2026 to be substantially stable'.

It will in any case be a special year: Rimadesio is in fact celebrating its 70th birthday and, to mark the occasion, is building a new headquarters in Giussano, a 'Campus' that should be completed by the end of the year. "We will increase from 27 thousand to 44 thousand square metres, with an expansion of the production and office area and the construction of a new showroom". In addition, the company has launched the Becoming project, the concept that will accompany Rimadesio over the course of the year, with a series of initiatives dedicated to the dialogue between art, architecture, design and project culture, which we will also witness during Design Week in Milan.

It will also be the year in which we will see the effects of the major investments made during 2025 on the production lines, thanks to the incentives linked to Industria 5.0: 3.8 million in total for four new plants, three latest-generation milling machines and a glass painting machine that will bring the company not only greater production efficiency, but also significant energy savings.