Italy's Coin named official retailer of Expo 2015 in Milan

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Apr 15, 2015

Italian company Coin is partnering with Expo 2015, becoming its official retailer. The agreement involves the opening of two stores on May 18 - one for OVS (fast fashion), and the other Excelsior (luxury) on the Milan Universal Exhibition’s official grounds. The exhibition is preparing to welcome twenty million visitors from May to October 2015.

Gruppo Coin was chosen because "it is an international brand, but also absolutely Italian, able to showcase the best of Made in Italy through its excellence, quality products and a true sense of aesthetics," said Giuseppe Sala, CEO and commissioner for Expo 2015. 

The Italian retailer, which is owned by British investment firm BC Partners, invested 2 million euros in the operation. It will market product lines related to the Expo - primarily clothing (T-shirts, accessories, etc.) as well as gadget-souvenirs and food items.

Both of Coin’s retailers, which will be located on the central thoroughfare of the grounds, the Decumano, will cover a surface area of 1,940 ft2 each. OVS, which is "the group’s more democratic soul," will offer various collections, including one by the designer Elio Fiorucci and another by students from the Istituto Marangoni. These products will be distributed through 150 OVS stores in Italy and on its e-commerce site. 

Excelsior, which is more geared toward experimentation and exclusivity, will market "capsule collections made exclusively with emerging designers who will interpret the themes from the Expo." The first collection will be put together by Argentinian designer-dj Marcelo Burlon, head of the successful brand County of Milan.

Expo 2015 will receive a 10% commission for sales. According to estimates, the sale of merchandising products should yield between 4 and 5 million euros.

At the end of the Universal Exhibition in late October, the OVS and Excelsior stores will be dismantled and brought back to Mestre, where Coin is headquartered, and converted into a company kindergarten.

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