Eataly chooses Flon-Quartier as first Swiss location
Not Zurich or Geneva, but Lausanne, or more precisely the Flon district, is the first location in Switzerland that the Italian delicatessen concept Eataly has chosen to open a branch. "We have signed an agreement with Eataly to lease a few thousand square meters in the Flon," says Marc Pointet, Head of Western Switzerland and member of the Mobimo AG Management Board at Mapic in Cannes.
The Eataly location is scheduled to open in 2019 at the latest, he said, with remodeling of the retail space required before that.
When it comes to choosing a location, Eataly is very selective. Not only top locations, Triple-A, are in demand, but "destinations" - and so Pointet is very pleased that the company's first choice in Switzerland was the Flon: "We are the first movers." He sees the award as confirmation of Mobimo's strategy: "It is proof that what we hoped and planned for the Flon is becoming reality: It's a neighborhood where people like to spend time."
This, in turn, is due not least to the fact that the entire neighborhood belongs to one owner: "We can afford to keep an artist in the Flon for a low rent and thus ensure a better mix. In a neighborhood with many individual owners and their partial interests, that's hardly possible." Since Eataly is known to only open locations in neighborhoods with atmosphere, Pointet believes the Flon is on the right track.
Just over a month ago, Eataly and Signa Holding formed a joint venture to launch the highly acclaimed retail concept in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. At the time, however, it was still said that the focus would be on German-speaking Switzerland. Eataly opens in Munich's Schrannenhalle at the end of November.
The company was founded in 2007, and it follows the principles of Slow Food, an Italian organization that promotes good and regional food. The concept combines markets, restaurants, teaching facilities and show productions of Italian food under one roof.
Eataly currently operates 26 locations in Italy, the U.S., Brazil, Dubai, Japan, South Korea and Turkey and is considered one of the fastest growing and most successful food service and retail companies. Last year, it generated around 400 million euros in sales. Its largest location worldwide is Eataly Alti Cibi on Fifth Avenue in New York, directly across from the Flatiron Building. (bw/Cannes/ah)
