Kering Chief François-Henri Pinault Inaugurates New Milan HQs
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MILAN — Luxury group Kering has unveiled its new sprawling headquarters in Milan inside the fully revamped Palazzo Pertusati Groppallo, an 18th-century estate in the city center.
Kering chief François-Henri Pinault attended the official opening on Wednesday, joined by some of the group’s C-suite executives including Marco Bizzarri, president and chief executive officer of Gucci, as well as Sabina Belli, CEO of the group-owned jeweler Pomellato, and Richard Ginori CEO Alain Prost.
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Moving from Via Mecenate, where the conglomerate has been based since 2019, Kering takes over the neoclassical Palazzo Pertusati originally designed by Simone Cantoni and covering 102,257 square feet over six stories with views of the Golden Triangle luxury shopping and fashion district and the Indro Montanelli gardens.
As reported, the stately complex was the object of restoration works spearheaded by global real estate developer Hines under the Spiga 26 moniker, a mixed-use retail and workspace building that has already welcomed Moschino, Borsalino, Drumohr and Sergio Rossi, among other tenants.
Kering has an exclusive use entrance from Via Senato 19.
After Milan Mayor Beppe Sala thanked the French group for investing in the city and actively contributing to its economic and social development, Pinault addressed guests including Carlo Capasa, chairman of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, and Kiton’s CEO Antonio De Matteis, who is also president of Pitti Immagine.
“I’m of course very happy to welcome you here in the new home of Kering in Milan [on] Via Senato. I’m sure you all know how important Italy is, in particular Milan, for our group. We’re globally very committed to the future of Italy and the territory and when it’s necessary we try to stand as much as we can by the Italian people in difficult times,” he said, mentioning the recent donation the group has pledged to the Emilia-Romagna region, which has been hit by widespread flooding that caused at least 14 deaths and left thousands of people homeless.
“As a group our love affair with Italy started 20 years ago and since then we’ve been nurturing and developing our beautiful Italian brands… and our brands are really the very best of Italian creativity and craftsmanship. But also, equally important during all those years we’ve invested in growing the capabilities of the group around the brands in Italy,” Pinault said.
To be sure, this real estate investment comes on the heels of the opening of a state-of-the-art global logistics hub in Trecate, Italy, in 2021. That facility covering more than 1.7 million square feet, equivalent to 20 rugby fields, employs around 1,000 people.
“But we go further than that and we go as far as developing industrial hubs in Italy for non-Italian brands, as is the case for Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen,” Kering’s CEO said. “The reason is that in certain activities of the group, when it comes to the know-how and skills that are needed, they are only available in those territories of Italy, so this is why we’re continuously investing on capabilities here.”
He also mentioned the number of Italian CEOs and senior executives within the group’s top leadership ranks as a sign of Kering’s “love affair” with the country.
Five floors of the premises are dedicated to workspaces, with a canteen, cafeteria and conference room located on the top floor. The latter also includes a 16,145-square-foot terrace overlooking the Duomo cathedral and neighboring rooftops.
Each floor features 300 working stations, private booths, meeting rooms and collaborative spaces. Decked in organic and soft colors such as beige and gray, the space is filled with natural light and furnished with signature Italian design pieces, including the Arco lamp by brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos.
“We’re at the very center of the business and luxury district of Milan here and with these new offices we really want to strengthen even more the role of the group as a key player of the Italian luxury and business landscape,” Pinault said. “For our Italian stakeholders I’m confident that these new premises that we are opening today will embody what we want to be with you, which is a creative, innovative and very trusted partner.”
As part of the Hines project and in line with high standards of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, the complex aims to achieve LEED Platinum and WELL Gold certifications.
Kering has 13,000 employees in Italy out of its global workforce of 47,000 people. It runs 40 facilities in the country including production sites, design studios, offices and laboratories.
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