Benetton takes over a network of megastores in Italy, Holland, Belgium and inaugurates today the new flagship store in Tokyo.

Ponzano, December 1, 2000. Benetton has concluded a deal to take over 12 large stores of the Coin Group located throughout Italy (particularly in Milan, Genoa, Modena, Vicenza, Latina, Avellino and Campobasso) for an overall amount of 25.2 billion liras, as well as three stores from Holland's Peek & Cloppenburg chain in The Hague, Rotterdam and Brussels.

The 15 new stores in Italy, Holland and Belgium, with a combined size of more than 40,000 square metres, will be added to the world-wide chain of Benetton megastores and opened by the end of next year. Some will be run directly by the group, others by long-standing, experienced partners.

Further event marking the group's expansion is today's inauguration, by Luciano Benetton himself, of the new flagship store in Tokyo. This is one of the most important megastores of all: the largest Benetton store in Japan and the first to be owned by the Group. It takes up an entire seven-storey building in the prestigious Omote Sando Avenue, a total of 3,500 square metres, including the corporate offices of Benetton Japan. The transparent glass façade is a symbol of Benetton's openness to the street and the rest of the world, highlighting the brand image and eradicating all barriers between the store and the customer, between shopping and amusement.

The new megastore and the takeover deals, to be followed by others currently in negotiation, reflect the strong momentum of openings throughout the world. Benetton now has 6,000 outlets world-wide and has shifted its focus to spacious stores offering high-quality service, which will have a welcome effect on revenues as early as 2001. The investment programme requires for the purchase or rental of both individual outlets and chains, as long as the stores are large and well located in city centres and commercial zones. The premises are then turned into Benetton megastores hosting the full range of United Colors of Benetton clothing and accessory collections - women's, men's, children's and underwear - so that the brand's style and quality can be showcased in all its glory.

Over the past few months, Benetton has opened new stores in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. The new locations include Milan (on Corso Buenos Aires, the city's famous shopping street), Moscow (the largest single-brand store in Russia), Hamburg (one of Benetton's biggest megastores in Germany), Athens and Rome. More prestigious megastores will soon be opening their doors in Paris (on the Champs Elysées), Brussels, Vienna, Nantes and Naples.

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Benetton takes over a network of megastores in Italy, Holland, Belgium and inaugurates the new flagship store in Tokyo.