Benetton gives the US another chance: opens pop up in California

Benetton bets again for the United States. The Italian fashion retailer, which retreated in the US market four years ago, when it had sixty stores, plans to try again with retail and open a pop-up store in Santa Monica (California).

The company has explained that this point of sale will be a “test” to see how the group works in the United States, and subsequently develop an expansion strategy through the opening of new stores. The new Benetton store in the United States will be based on an omnichannel model, where there will be no stock, but customers can try on the clothes and buy online directly at the store.

Benetton had sixty stores in the United States in 2014

This happens one month after the Italian group relaunched its ecommerce platform in the United States. As explained by the company, the positive evolution of online sales has made the group open stores. “I hope this is the first step for a long time of growth,” said Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, creative director of Benetton.

The company is immersed in a transformation process. In June 2018, the family injected one hundred million euros after Benetton closed 2017 with losses for 180 million euros. A few months later, the group signed Jean-Charles de Castelbajac as new creative director, being the first person to assume this position in the history of the company.

Benetton, which currently has a network of around 5,000 stores, modified its helm one year ago with the return to the head of its founder, Luciano Benetton. Since then, the group has taken a turn towards its origins, emphasizing communication and image again.