Ceo of Prénatal Retail Group

Amedeo Giustini Ceo of Prénatal Retail Group

the retail evolution translates into innovative concePts, which can also be multi-format

We are a leading multi-brand group in the children’s and toy sector in Europe, with 912 shops in 9 countries – Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland – with the brands Prénatal, Toys Center, Bimbostore, King Jouet and Maxi Toys. We also have an exclusive partnership with the Californian ThreeSixty Group, owner of Fao Schwarz, through which we opened the first store of the iconic toy brand in mainland Europe, precisely in Milan, in Piazza Cordusio. I believe this introduction is crucial in order to understand the complexity of the Prénatal Retail Group and how, evidently, the point of sale is central to our universe. With an undeniable advantage, which is also our function, to ensure that all the best practices existing in the different companies, tees assistance, not from a chatbot but from a salesperson, or ZeroCoda, which allows us to manage in-store visits, proving particularly useful during the pandemic. We have also activated other services from our sites, such as the personal shopper service for Prénatal. Again in the area of digitisation, in France we have developed multimedia kiosks for King Jouet that can expand the physical assortment of the individual shop. A retail evolution that also translates into innovative formats such as the multi-format approach. In Italy, where we have 388 shops, we have in fact invested in the qualitative diversification of our offer: that is, we present several doors in the same building with all our children’s and toy proposals, while maintaining the relevant store names. In this way, we assure our customers of the entire customer journey

«the faO schwarz stOre in milan, the first t in mainland eurOpe, Offers a very immersive O be Opened and distinctive experience»

developed in the various geographical areas, can be pooled. So that the most important, most profitable core experiences become the excellences of the group. The transformation of shops imposed by the pandemic, but also by the digital evolution accelerated by the emergency, also fits into this perspective, in order to increasingly improve the customer journey of our customers. For example, through a series of tools: such as Hero for Toys Center and Bimbostore, which guaran– from pregnancy to the growth of the child – by securing their loyalty to the same shop for an extended period of time. This is expressed effectively by the new shop in Grugliasco, near Turin, where, reformulating the concept, we inserted a ‘small’ format’ Toys Centre into a large Préna-

▲Prénatal and Toys Center, Grugliasco (Turin)

Prénatal Retail Group

tal: in this way the shop can also become very interesting from an economic and patrimonial point of view. This formula may also work abroad, starting with the Iberian Peninsula and France. With sustainability as the true fil rouge of the entire group, and as the value we uphold in all aspects of our business: from our choice of suppliers to the certification of materials and products, to the energy efficiency of our shops. And not only with regard to children, but also to mothers, for example with the Forever Young project, which offers the possibility of giving cots and pushchairs a new life. Finally, in the post-pandemic scenario, I see more opportunities than threats, starting with being able to strengthen our presence in certain territories and creating an increasingly synergic relationship with customers. A clear example of this in action is the Fao Schwarz store in Milan, which offers a very immersive and distinctive experience. •

photo Photo by BAMS ▲Rendering of Vetra Building, Milan