A spokesman said the store format, which is being designed in the retailer's Milan head office, will eventually be rolled out across Europe. He would not give any details of its branding nor where the first store would be located, but confirmed that it would carry the Benetton name.
Benetton achieved notoriety in the 80s and 90s with a string of controversial ad campaigns, one of which featured images of an AIDS victim and a dead soldier's blood-splattered uniform. It has subsequently ditched this strategy and this year is planning to devote the majority of its UK adspend to promoting its collection. The ads are being produced by the retailer's in-house agency, Fabrica.
Benetton has a presence in 120 countries. Late last year it revealed a sales increase of 7% to E1.37bn (£926.4m) for the first nine months of its financial year.
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