People and sustainability lie at the heart of Eataly, says founder Farinetti

RetailME brings exclusive coverage from the World Retail Congress (WRC) taking place in Rome from September 8-10, where Oscar Farinetti, founder of the Italian F&B concept Eataly, addressed the two crucial areas in retail today – sustainability and talent – during the keynote session.

According to him, people play a crucial role in retail and so does sustainability. “We are not a chain,” he declares. “I respect the chains, all my friends of Starbucks and McDonalds, but I don’t like it. Our stores are like brothers, different people, different personalities, different rules, but the same values, such as no food colouring and no chemicals.”

He stressed on the importance of working with and for the people saying that ‘project, product, price, placement, promotion’ nothing is possible without the people. In addition, Farinetti also explained the Eataly’s policy of restoring old buildings with an emotional value instead of building new ones.

“It leaves more space to celebrate Italian biodiversity around the world with high-quality products, allowing more people to eat better and respecting the host countries by employing local manpower and using indigenous ingredients and products,” he adds.

Further he also announced Eataly’s expansion plans with new openings scheduled in Moscow, Dubai, Chicago and New York, along with new stores in Italy.