Land of Fashion is an outlet leader in Italy with over 150,000 square meters of villages in many popular destinations. Like all Italian and European businesses it was hard hit by the Covid pandemic, and to get a clear picture of how things are now we spoke to Hubsolute's Chief Business Development Officer Mauro Acquati.
At what stage is the recovery? What are your current numbers?
“Overall we are better than 2020 but worse than 2019. At this stage of the recovery we can say we are somewhat satisfied. Since May we even exceeded pre-pandemic numbers, and the 2021 closing forecast will bring a similar growth rate to 2020, although it will not reach the overall performance of 2019.”
Which outlets are working best with tourists?
“Our villages are in destinations with a strong tourist vocation. The villages of Franciacorta and Mantua get the spin-off from Lake Garda. Palmanova benefits from travellers heading to the north-eastern coast. Valdichiana is in the heart of Tuscany, and Molfetta exploits the growing popularity of Apulia. All our villages had a very satisfying summer.”
What are Land of Fashion’s prospects in a market that now seems to have turned the corner?
“We are strong players, we work at local levels. Our customers have remained faithful and are rewarding us. This has also allowed us to add to the brands with new openings and with others in the pipeline. We are positive and we hope to come out stronger and with a great future ahead of us.”
Have you gone back to pre Covid numbers?
“Yes, as a trend. But the first part of the year weighs on the overall result.”
