BRIEF
Fondaco dei Tedeschi is an iconic Venice building located next to the famous Rialto Bridge and has served as a trading post, palace, market and residential property during its 800 year history. Purchased by the DFS Group in 2013, the property will be transformed into Venice’s foremost premium retail experience with a mix of fashion, beauty and food. The consultancy was engaged to create a compelling and exceptional food retail proposition.
STRATEGY
An initial study was undertaken of the city and tourist shopping habits, which coupled with research into the wider Italian fine food & drink markets helped to develop a bespoke gourmet shopping experience, representing the very best brands and independent producers. The unique internal structure of the building lent itself well to creating a series of boutiques, each focusing on a specialist area and staffed by ‘experts’ in their field. Detailed ranging, fixture specifications, floor layouts and cashier strategies were presented alongside technical data, specification for food production and food service facilities.
RESULTS
The Fondaco dei Tedeschi project received full planning approval with the Venice authorities and the building was renovated and opened in 2016.
