Natale Farinetti, known as Oscar (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɔskar fariˈnetti]; born 24 September 1954), is an Italian businessman and investor. Farinetti was the owner of the high-end Italian food mall chain Eataly and founder of the consumer electronics chain UniEuro.
Oscar Farinetti | |
|---|---|
 Farinetti in 2013 | |
| Born | 24 September 1954 Alba, Italy |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Italian |
Personal life and career edit
Farinetti was born in Alba, Piedmont. 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; a few years later Oscar became 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 28 stores in 7 different countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, UAE, Italy, Turkey and Brazil).[6]
On 18 March 2014, Eataly opened its big 5,000-square-meter store in Piazza XXV Aprile in Milan. In November 2016, Eataly opened in Copenhagen.[7] On 13 November 2019, Eataly opened a 50,000-square-foot store in Toronto, Canada in the Manulife Centre on Bloor Street.[8]
Media coverage edit
Farinetti's disruptive model has received significant media attention. His methods have been covered by publications including Forbes,[9] The New York Times,[10] The Atlantic[11] and the Chicago Tribune.[12]
References edit
- ^ "ANPI, Biografia Paolo Farinetti" (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ 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 978-8820046217.
- ^ "Oscar Farinetti racconta Oscar Farinetti" (in Italian). Il Post. 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Dixons in £230m UniEuro takeover". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008.
- ^ Tardi, Alan (24 October 2007) Spacious Food Bazaar in Turin Plans Manhattan Branch, The New York Times
- ^ "Eataly Chicago focuses on quality, education". Supermarket News. 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Eataly opens in Copenhagen". Eataly website. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ "Eataly Toronto - blogTO - Toronto".
- ^ "Eataly Chicago, Is This The Future Of Food Retailing?". Forbes. 12 February 2013.
- ^ "Big Box Italian Food, in Rome". The New York Times. 19 July 2012.
- ^ "The Supermarket of the Future". The Atlantic. 1 May 2007.
- ^ "Eataly comes to Chicago". Chicago Tribune. 29 August 2014.