Page 25 - April 2020

Eat, Shop, The Eataly concept was born in November 2002, from an idea sketched by Oscar

Farinetti. The idea was simple: to gather under one roof high-quality food at sustainable
Learn and reasonable prices for all, celebrate Italian biodiversity, and create an informal, natural

and simple place to eat, shop and learn. Here, RLI sits down with Nicola Farinetti, CEO
of Eataly USA to learn how the company is growing and evolving.

EATALY LAS VEGAS, US EATALY TORONTO, CANADA

“We consider our locations as
not only places to eat, but also
places to shop and learn. No-one
else is combining the retail and
restaurant components as we are.”

fusion of two words, eat and Italy, Eataly stands The current focus for Eataly is on European capitals and become a partner in the production process, supporting “Real estate is also always a challenge. It’s difficult to find
for “Eating Italian” and encompasses the history major North American markets, but they are constantly producers from near and far,” says Farinetti. 40-50,000sq ft of space in the right location. We are lucky
and the food culture of Italy, the ease of preparing looking for their next location. At any given time, they have Embracing social media, Eataly is always excited to share that our track record and number of customers prompt
A dishes and the many qualities that Italy has to offer. 20-30 cities in mind for expansion and then they look for the with the world what is happening in each store and they many landlords to reach out to us directly. It can be hard to
Following five years of market research and preparation perfect location in each. enjoy the fact that they are able to give customers a behind find the perfect spot, but there are always possibilities.”
work, the first Eataly opened its doors in Torino on January So how do the company stay at the cutting edge of the market? the scenes look at what they can offer. This philosophy also We conclude the time with Farinetti by asking is there
27th 2007, when an old vermouth factory was transformed “Eataly is a unique experience for all guests and the extends to the company’s marketing strategy, as they feel this anything else he feels that makes Eataly stand out from the
into Eataly Torino Lingotto to become the first multifunctional products we offer represent an unprecedented level of gives them the opportunity to share their vision, values and crowd in a saturated F&B industry?
marketplace dedicated to Italian excellence in the world. variety and quality, ensuring that there is something that will activities with its customers. “Our stores offer an incredible amount of experiences.
In the last thirteen years the company Eataly has over appeal to every guest. Our guests are encouraged to view Eataly locations are designed to educate guests from the From rare wine tastings to producers visiting the store with
40 locations worldwide across 12 countries including Italy, themselves as co-producers. When they shop in-store, they moment they walk in, creating a comfortable environment that their products, our stores always have something going on.
Germany, Sweden, USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Qatar, encourages questions and discovery, celebrates accessibility Everybody always wants to talk about experiential retail, and
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. and provides a diverse selection of goods at all price points. Eataly is one of the few who do it on a daily basis.”
Last year was a tremendous one for the business, as they “We consider our locations as not only places to eat, but also EATALY MILAN, ITALY
opened their first-ever Canada Eataly in Toronto in November, places to shop and learn. No-one else is combining the retail
as well as its Paris location in April. As its presence continues and restaurant components as we are. We value both aspects
to grow globally, so too does the company’s reputation, and equally and provide the best-in-class experience of each for our
opening in new locations is allowing the brand to bring the guests’ varied needs, price points and tastes,” Farinetti explains.
taste of Italy to new and exciting markets. The ethos behind Eataly is Eat, Shop, Learn, and what
“The first location in Canada is a 50,000sq ft store in the company does is create an accessible experience that
Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood which spans three floors encourages all guests to Eat sustainably sourced fare with
and features a market, four restaurants, seven counters, two quality ingredients, Shop the best local and Italian products and
cafes and a Birroteca. The new site showcases both local feel empowered to Learn about Italian culture and cuisines.
and Italian products that are carefully sourced by company Farinetti feels that the company’s biggest challenge over
experts,” explains Nicola Farinetti, CEO of Eataly USA. the years was to convince consumers that quality food is
Looking forward, the company is pursuing an aggressive important for their bodies and the world. He explains that
growth strategy of two openings per year with a focus on when they first started out, people were not talking about
North America and Europe. In 2020, they expect to open in food the way they are now. An interest in healthy food and
Dallas, US and London, UK and next year they are on track sustainability is of growing importance to consumers, which
to open in Silicon Valley, California, US. is making their jobs slightly easier.

24 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2020