Filippo Mengotti on the continued success of MENGOTTI Bucharest

What motivated your investment in Romania? 

Our family’s settlement in Romania is due to my father’s foresight, who already understood the capital’s potential 20 years ago.  So 17 years ago my father, Adriano Mengotti, built a new luxury experience for Bucharest in the heart of the city centre.  It was the first big window there, many italian and french brand were there for the first time.

He focused the energy on the service, on the luxury experience and on the selected products for a unique total look.  These characteristics have been the strong point that has led the best customers in the country to choose Mengotti for their exclusive and luxury purchases.

Which has been the evolution of Mengotti in Bucharest? 

As you well know, and this goes to question 7, we have just reopened our store.  This investment clearly demonstrates the Mengotti family’s desire to be an important and reliable reference point not only for the city’s customers, but also for the international customers that often purchases in our boutique.

This renewal clearly demonstrates the will to be an important player on the market. We are working with all the brand from a long time and we are offering products from first line and from the contemporary concept of the different brand we are working with. We want to satisfy our regular customers but also the younger ones, we want to continue to grow.

How has the market changed in all these years? How would you evaluate the potential? 

The Romanian market has undergone great changes over the years, it has developed more and more and our company has been able to adapt and respond promptly to the new needs of consumers. They’re returning to the physical experience in-store shopping.

Has the consumer profile changed?  

Certainly the changing market and lifestyle of recent years have also changed some aspects of the end customer. So here is our prompt response with the most contemporary part of the store: APT. We have designed a part of the store dedicated to young customers who are looking to lifestyle trends.

Tell us more about the opportunities but also the challenges.

Every entrepreneur knows that every difficulty, every new challenge, can be an opportunity. In a difficult time for the global economy, investing and renewing can, in our opinion, be the key to relaunching your business by giving even greater visibility to the brands that are your business’s true calling card.

Have you also considered operating any brand in franchising? (Mono-brand) 

Yes we thought about collaborating with brands in different ways through franchising too, we have always to look at the business in different way, we have to be open mind. We have been  gratified by the offers made to us, in this sense, by various brands because they are recognizing Mengotti as a right and trusted partner.

You have recently completed the renovation of your store in Bucharest. Tell us more about the concept. 

The freshly renovated boutique reflects our idea of timeless elegance and modern sophistication through a curated selection of wardrobe essentials and fashion masterpiece for people who seek strength, grace, and beauty. Just for a quick explanation, the ground floor and the first floor are organized for tayloring and first line brand. On the second floor you can jump in the modern part, like a special Apartment in the city!

Which are the main brands you have in your portfolio? Are there any novelties? 

At Mengotti, we have many brand in our portfolio, here below the list Acne Studios, Ami Paris, Amiri, Balenciaga, BaoBao, Bottega Veneta, Canada Goose, Chloè, Coach, Dsquared2, Fendi, Givenchy,  Kenzo, Lanvin, Louboutin, Lemaire, Loewe, Loro Piana, M. Kitsune, Maison Margiela, MCM, Moncler, Paul Smith, Polo Ralph Lauren, Prada, Saint Laurent, Stone Island, The Row, Valextra, Yves Salomon.  Moreover, one of our business development activities is certainly knowing how to scout and research new brand across the globe without setting boundaries.

Let’s keep our eyes wide open is one of our must!

What are your expectations in terms of performance for this year? What about next year.

It’s undeniable that the fashion world is going through a difficult time, but we’re confident. The desire to invest in the store’s renovation is precisely to relaunch the business, and we’re confident this will allow us to work very well right away, and with a view to growth in the near future.

Are you planning any events / marketing initiatives?  

Of course there is no shortage of events for customers and brand ambassadors . We’d like to welcome them in our new space. Numerous events have been organised in the last few months, before the renewal there were plenty of opportunities to meet most of our customers and new ones have arrived. Our  Instagram platform is proactive and update with novelties and proposal, stay tuned.

More from OPPORTUNITIES

---