UniCredit at the side of Piazza Italia for the relaunch plan

In 2025, the group is preparing to close the best financial year in its history, with a total turnover - between direct network and franchising - of €485 million, net revenue of €350 million and an EBITDA of €50 million, corresponding to a margin of 14.3%. A result that confirms the group's economic solidity and its ability to create value even in a highly competitive context.

The headquarters in Nola (Na) will become a strategic hub for the digital, retail operations, supply chain and international development functions, confirming the contribution of the South to the growth of the group and the entire Italian fashion industry.

A central role in the relaunch and definition of the development plan was assumed by Arnaldo Bernardo, co-CEO of Piazza Italia and eldest son of founder Luigi, who personally led the financial operation and supervised the group's new growth and development plan.

Piazza Italia has also defined an integrated ESG plan that combines growth, responsibility and a short supply chain: increased production in Italy and the Euro-Mediterranean area, reduced dependence on the Far East, use of materials with a lower environmental impact, more efficient and circular distribution processes and training programmes for young talents.

'Our family strengthens governance and the ability to invest in the long term,' comments Luigi Bernardo, CEO Piazza Italia. 'We focus on productive proximity, digitalisation and training to build a competitive and sustainable model that continues to create work and value in Italy and abroad.

"UniCredit confirms its role as a bank capable of accompanying Italian companies in the strategic stages of growth, supporting the modernisation of the supply chain and the creation of new skilled employment, particularly in the South," said Ferdinando Natali, UniCredit Regional Manager for the South. "Piazza Italia is a virtuous example of a family business that looks to global markets without losing its roots.

'Territory, customer proximity and accompaniment in both business needs and growth projects are our levers to support the economy and the country's productive realities,' highlights Fulvio Egidi, Head of Large Corporate BNL BNP Paribas and Head of Structured Finance BNL BNP Paribas, 'confirming our commitment to sustainability and innovation.

"With this transaction, Cdp confirms its proximity to the growth projects of Italian family businesses that invest in innovation and employment. Piazza Italia represents a virtuous case rooted in the territories and projected towards new markets," adds Carlo Francesco Maria Anzilotti, head of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti's Central Adriatic and Southern Italy business relations.

"The Piazza Italia project emphasises two aspects that are fundamental for us: the valorisation of important Italian realities, particularly those in southern Italy, and the promotion of sustainable, responsible and environmentally friendly models of growth and development," concludes Piero Ferettini, Head of Sales at Mediocredito Centrale.