Rinascente opens second Rome flagship store

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Oct 13, 2017

With its seven shop front displays and 96 windows, the store sits strikingly on Via del Tritone, between the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. The new Rinascente took close to eleven years to come to fruition - a project commenced by the Rinascente group a decade ago in the heart of the Italian capital - transforming itself into a fashion and luxury temple. 

Covering a surface area 17,500 square metres (14,000 square metres of commercial space), the department store is made up of eight levels, with each one intricately thought out by reputable architects and designers, welcoming a selection of 800 brands across ready-to-wear, accessories, beauty and design, as well as a high-end supermarket and terrasse restaurant overlooking the Roman rooftops.

It's an important milestone for the Italian retailer, owned by Thailand's Central Group, which welcomes its second Rome flagship store, some 150 years after the opening of its historic Milan location opposite the Duomo. It's also 100 hundred years ago that the firm took on the name La Rinascente, now simplified to Rinascente.

The group invested 250 million euros in the outfit, where 139 million euros went into purchasing the building, while the present brands put forward 50 million euros for the fit out of their respective places in store. Close to eight million visitors are expected to come through each year. 

The brands setting up home in the department store include Gucci, Dior, Valentino, Fendi, Céline, Marni, Saint Laurent, Ferragamo, Balenciaga, Zegna and Prada, who is making its Rinascente debut.

The store is distinguished by a large interior court, which also acts as a skylight. Other features include a Roman aqueduct opened by the Emperor Auguste in 19 A.D., visible in the basement (level -1), and a small building from the beginning of last century, nicknamed "Palazzetto", which is integrated into the building on two levels and occupied by Louis Vuitton.

The Via Tritone flagship store is a seconde point of sale for Rinascente in Rome, with the first located in the Fiume Piazza. The new opening takes the retailers store count to 11 in Italy. Rinascente recorded revenues of 615 million euros in 2016.