BUSINESS NEWS
La Martina store
LA MARTINA BETS ON RETAIL EXPANSION
La Martina, the polo brand founded in 1985 by Lando Simonetti, will continue opening mono-brand stores worldwide with the aim of reaching 120 locations in the next three years. The company currently has 80 mono-brand stores worldwide in cities including Buenos Aires, Capri, Madrid, Las Vegas, Punta del Este, Miami, Porto Cervo, Dubai, Saint Tropez, Sylt and Casablanca.
Between July and November 2012 La Martina expects to open ten new stores. The first will measure over 300 sqm and will be inaugurated in mid-June as a shop-in-shop at the “Deihra City Center” department store in Dubai. Then in July, another 200 sqm mono-brand store will open at the “Mall Pavilion” in Kuala Lumpur. In September five openings of mono-brand stores and shop-in-shops will follow in the Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh and Jeddah, with another new location scheduled for Singapore in mid-September. Soon after, a flagship will be inaugurated in Prague’s city center on Parizka Street as well as another 250 sqm boutique in Teheran’s Argentina Square.
All of the La Martina stores are designed to bring the brand’s Anglo-Argentinian identity to the modern image of the malls where they are hosted with warm materials such as wood and colorful walls, comfy vintage Chesterfield sofas, silver objects and black and white photographs. This concept now joins a new retail project that aims to expand the brand’s visibility within the realm of polo. The Argentinian company considers itself a leader in producing technical equipment for the game in addition to offering a sportswear collection inspired by it. As such, newly opened stores will double as club-houses for supporting local polo events.
The company closed 2011 with a €74 million turnover in Europe, €53 million of which was due to apparel sales and €21 million of which to leather goods. La Martina’s whole turnover was €200 million.Maria Cristina Pavarini
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