Oscar Farinetti

Natale Farinetti, known as Oscar (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɔskar fariˈnetti]; Alba, 24 September 1954), is an Italian entrepreneur. Farinetti in the current owner of the high-end Italian food mall chain Eataly and founder of the consumer electronics chain UniEuro.

Personal life & career

Farinetti was born in Alba, Italy. His father was insurgent and deputy mayor of Alba Paolo Farinetti.[1] After attending the liceo classico Govone in Alba, he started studying Business in Turin in 1972, but dropped out from college in 1976[2] His father Paolo founded a small local supermarket in 1967 and named it UniEuro: few years later Oscar become actively involved in the business. He was appointed board member in 1978, and then CEO & Chairman until 2003.[3] The same year he decided to sell UniEuro to Dixons Retail for £230m.[4] In 2004 he founded the high-end Italian supermarket Eataly. The New York Times has described it as a "megastore" that "combines elements of a bustling European open market, a Whole-Foods-style supermarket, a high-end food court and a New Age learning center."[5] The company is based in Monticello d'Alba, Cuneo, Italy and currently controls 27 stores in 5 different countries (United States, Japan, UAE, Italy, Turkey)[6] On March 18, 2014 Eataly opened its big 5,000 sqm store in Piazza XXV Aprile in Milan.

Media coverage

Farinetti's disruptive model has received significant media attention. His methods have been covered by publications including Forbes,[7] The New York Times,[8] The Atlantic[9] and the Chicago Tribune.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "ANPI, Biografia Paolo Farinetti" (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Sartorio, Anna (7 October 2008). Il mercante di utopie. La storia di Oscar Farinetti, l'inventore di Eataly (in Italian). Sperling & Kupfer. p. 56. ISBN 8820046210.
  3. ↑ "Oscar Farinetti racconta Oscar Farinetti" (in Italian). Il Post. 24 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "Dixons in £230m UniEuro takeover". The Independent.
  5. ↑ Tardi, Alan (24 October 2007) Spacious Food Bazaar in Turin Plans Manhattan Branch, The New York Times
  6. ↑ "Eataly Chicago focuses on quality, education". Supermarket News.
  7. ↑ "Eataly Chicago, Is This The Future Of Food Retailing?". Forbes. 12 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "Big Box Italian Food, in Rome". The New York Times. 19 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "The Supermarket of the Future". The Atlantic. 1 May 2007.
  10. ↑ "Eataly comes to Chicago". Chicago Tribune. 29 August 2014.