Benetton Megastore network grows across Italy.

Expansion in World Capitals is Paralleled By Three New Openings in Treviso, Novara and Naples

Ponzano, 8th March 2001. From north to south, from east to west: Benetton's megastore network grows in quantity and quality across Italy. Three new directly managed stores offering the full range of Benetton style and quality will be opened by Luciano Benetton in Treviso, Novara and, in the next few days, in Naples. These new openings are part of the worldwide megastore development programme, characterized by stores of large dimensions located in historical or commercial city centres.

The new Treviso megastore, the first in the Group's home town, is situated in the central Piazza Indipendenza. The store occupies three floors and a mezzanine, for a total area of over 2,000 square metres, with the full range of United Colors of Benetton's lines for women, men, underwear and a vast choice of accessories. The ground and mezzanine floors house the men's collections while the two upper floors display women's collections, accessories and Undercolors' underwear lines.

The new Novara megastore is the showcase for Benetton's total look in the heart of the city, where almost 1,000 square metres are dedicated entirely to women. On two floors, white is the dominant element of the store, highlighting the full range of women's and accessory collections in a young, enjoyable and trendy atmosphere.

Benetton's Naples megastore, to be opened shortly, is in the sumptuous, late 18th-century Palazzo Berio – designed by the great Italian architect Vanvitelli – in central Via Toledo. This prestigious venue, which formerly housed the famous Caflisch pastry shop, has been fully restored to offer a fascinating historical-artistic setting for United Colors of Benetton's women's, children's, underwear and accessory collections, enabling Benetton to contribute to the project for revitalising Naples' historical centre. The megastore occupies over 2,000 square metres on two floors connected by an escalator, a splendid grand staircase and a glass lift.

Today Benetton's sales network is expanding rapidly all over the world through purchase or rental of individual sales outlets or chains. At the end of 2000, in particular, Benetton acquired 12 outlets, located throughout Italy, from the Coin. The 12 new stores in Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium, whose overall surface exceeds 40,000 square metres, will be integrated with Benetton's worldwide megastore network and become operative before the end of 2001.

This year other important openings are programmed for three major world capitals, London, New York and Paris. These will join the flagship store in Tokyo, the first and biggest Benetton-owned store in Japan and new stores in Kobe (Japan); Moscow, the biggest single-brand store in Russia; Hamburg, one of Benetton's leading megastores in Germany; Athens, Milan and Rome.

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