Floor by floor at T Fondaco by DFS Ground floor: Italian gifts and other local products, plus a high-class café. |
ITALY. DFS Group is firmly on track for an October 2016 opening of what it has dubbed “a new destination for culture and commerce” on Venice’s famous Grand Canal.
The profoundly ambitious commercial enterprise at Venice’s historic Fondaco dei Tedeschi will be branded T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS, with DFS thus perpetuating the 800 years’ old name of the famous building, the company revealed to The Moodie Report.
As reported, the venture is a partnership with Edizione, a private company controlled by the Benetton family and which is orchestrating the renovation of the building with the help of the renowned architect Rem Koolhaas in close collaboration with the City of Venice.
DFS’s interior concept is being designed by UK architect Jamie Fobert, who has a strong track record in blending retail into historical buildings.
Eléonore de Boysson: “The whole heritage of the building is one of ‘East meets West’ so the parallel with DFS’s history is very interesting” |
DFS intends the 13th century building to become a major destination and vantage point for tourists and Venetians alike. It will provide the array of the most desired Italian and international luxury brands that DFS is known for, as well as the best of Italian craftsmanship. At the same time there will be a focus on Venice through local products and niche local brands.
DFS President Europe and Middle East Eléonore de Boysson tells The Moodie Report that the retail offer will be “a showcase for international luxury, while also celebrating regional artisanship”.
“Along with international luxury brand shop-in-shops and multi-brand environments, there will be an offer of very traditional local brands which is what visitors to Venice seek out” Ms de Boysson says.
“The offer will be as much about leading luxury brands as it will be about Italy and Venice providing something that people can’t find elsewhere.”
“We will also complement this with accessible items like fashion jewellery, sunglasses and accessories, for example.”
Space will also be dedicated to fine Italian food, wines and spirits, again mostly from the surrounding region, a heartland for the Italian wine and food industry.
Ms de Boysson says that the luxury brand line-up is 80% committed. Although she declines to provide specific details, the company promises that visitors to the new store will be impressed by the offering. Highlights include a large cosmetics and fragrances hall, and luxury brand shoe salons for men and women, the first of its scale and kind in Venice.
DFS intends to appeal to travellers who currently do not shop for luxury products in Venice. “We offer a central destination in an iconic building right in the heart of Venice, where they can find the best of international, Italian and Venetian products under one roof,” Ms de Boysson , noting that the plan has been met with enthusiasm by the international travel industry.
As well as providing a retail experience, T Fondaco dei Tedeschi will act as a hub for local cultural events. The fourth level of the Fondaco will feature a glass floor above a giant atrium, certain to be a spectacular sight with its huge greenhouse ambience flooded with natural light.
This dedicated space for public use will return the Fondaco to what Ms de Boysson describes as “its earlier existence as a meeting place, somewhere where people connect and also a place where they can experience the best of local culture.”
“A new benchmark for the world of retailing in Europe” In an earlier interview, just after the project was announced, DFS Chairman & CEO Philippe Schaus said: “There is a real need for a high-end department store concept that combines high-end shoes, high-end beauty, premium watches and jewellery, and we are doing this in an environment that is not only about retail but about events and theatre and education too. “There is also a deficit of premium destination goods in Venice – much of the offer you see is at the lower end – and we aim to address that need by introducing local artisans and offering bespoke design pieces from the region. Schaus added: “This is a new venture for DFS and we expect to learn a lot along the way. It is new in the sense that this is a new region, and we are entering a historical building with many centuries of history. That brings some constraints but it also offers guidance to what we can do. “That’s why we are working with Jamie Fobert, who has experience in design with historical buildings. We don’t want to de-naturise the building, we want to use the building and immerse our new concept in the existing building. The historic cells that were once occupied by traders will still exist and some of these will remain and will house brands. “There is no model to copy from because it has never been done before. If we do it right, it will be a new benchmark for the world of retailing in Europe, and a template for retailing in historic city centres for the future.” |
About T Fondaco by DFS and Fondaco dei Tedeschi • The project will combine retail, cultural and entertainment events
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DFS recently entered into a partnership with Confartigianato Venezia, an association of local artisans, to showcase the best of the region’s craftsmanship across nearly 115sq m of the ground floor of the Fondaco.
“We have followed this project from the beginning because we believe in promoting high-quality local crafts as opposed to the more commonly found low-quality souvenirs,” says Gianni De Checchi, Secretary of Confartigianato Venezia.
“We are pleased that DFS fully shares our commitment to bringing taste, quality and customers to Venice. This partnership is another important step in the revival of Venice and its crafts.”
DFS is also set to confirm a well-known restaurateur as another drawcard. Exciting days lie ahead.
When the project was revealed in September 2014, DFS Chairman and CEO Philippe Schaus described both the honour and the humbling experience of becoming “the guardians” of this iconic landmark. “In opening our first European location in Italy,” he said, “our vision for Fondaco dei Tedeschi is to re-create, in the modern world of travel, the enjoyable experience this historic building plays in connecting culture and global commerce in Venice.”
That guardianship seems nicely rooted in past, present and future. The T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS branding brings together the historic building’s identity with the traditional and modern (T Galleria) faces of the world’s leading luxury travel retailer. “The whole heritage of the building is one of ‘East meets West’,” says Ms de Boysson, “so the parallel with DFS’s history is very interesting.”
Bridging past and present: DFS Executive Vice President Europe and Middle East Eléonore de Boysson with Chairman & CEO Philippe Schaus on the Rialto Bridge overlooking the site for T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS, which opens in October 2016 |
Back to the future: the Fondaco dei Tedeschi on the Grand Canal in Venice was a home for commerce for 800 years – and will become one again with the DFS opening |
T Fondaco dei Tedeschi enjoys a stunning location on Venice’s historic Grand Canal, right at the epicentre of the city’s tourist zone |
T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS will house four floors of luxury and destination retail alongside events space when complete |
The building’s interior has been preserved and retains touches of its centuries-old character |
