Bricocenter, an all-new store in Forli. The visit

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This is not just a re-building but the move from the historic store located on Viale Vittorio Veneto Street to the brand new “Formì” shopping center in Pieve dell’Acquedotto.

Adjacent to the highway exit, the commercial area is new, very large – as much as 24 thousand sq. m. – and built near the already well-known “Iron Point” shopping center. In this space, theBricocenter-branded store reintroduces its tried-and-true “ville moyenne” formula with a few new features.

From the “old” 1,600 sq. m., the new opening has 2,258 sq. m. of sales area and 330 sq. m. of outdoor display area, made with an initial pathway starting with the “paint” department on the right, as the sign has now accustomed us to, and the lighting department on the left. Of note are the two dedicated lighting podiums positioned immediately after the speakers in what is usually the designated seasonal/promotional area.

He accompanies us all the way, store manager Giancarlo Motta, a past in the Lucca store and later in Terni, until last May, when he arrived in Forlì.

During the transition from the old store to the new store, for 92 days the Bricocenter sign remained operational in Forli, thanks to the presence of a stand at the Punta di Ferro Shopping Center, manned by 3 people who were able to tell the citizenry about the store’s new content, increase loyalty card volume, and do recruiting.

“Forli represents a turning point,” explains Giancarlo Motta, “because it is the first major opening five years after Viareggio. The project involved the closure of the previous store, an extreme proximity reality, to open a new, innovative and technologically advanced facility, so much so that it is the first facility in the hub to be certified in class A4, with the lowest environmental impact.”

This means the presence of a photovoltaic system with 98 percent coverage of requirements, special floor insulation, skylights to allow natural light to pass through, and intelligent LED lighting and home automation that adjusts artificial light intensity.

However, the transformation has not only affected the sales structure and store layout but here it goes reported the presence of a warehouse which “through an interdependence and collective intelligences project we were able to enhance in terms of capacity, developing it vertically and managing to Accommodate more than 350 indoor pallets – Motta explains. This allows us to guarantee a certain amount of products in immediate availability and the rest in 72 hours or, at the latest, in 15 days.”

Of course, it is the assortment (20 thousand products) and the range of services that has undergone a profound transformation, both by expanding existing ranges but especially by including the whole aspect related to planning, with new solutions for home and garden maintenance, repair and renovation.

In the project area, of note, the exhibition novelty represented by wall and floor coverings, with displays, aesthetically pleasing, that work at height but allow a clear reading of the product, and the department dedicated to windows and doors that sees a display of as many as 65 door models – it is the first Bricocenter to have such a rich display -in part due to the presence of new exhibitors.

New in the novelty, the presence of fixtures, available in 72 hours those in standard version, while for the customized product the time is a bit longer. Later, the project of custom-made mosquito nets will also be introduced, “because now those who buy window frames also equip them with mosquito nets,” Giancarlo Motta concludes.

Among the most focused departments, we point out the expansion of the space dedicated to construction with an expanded plasterboard display, the Bathroom world (showerheads, faucets, sanitary ware), and the Garden world where more space has been given to decorative products and outdoor lighting. Also of note is the display of gardening machinery, positioned just before the outdoor area and well highlighted by lighting that enhances the product. Very “dense” outlook for technical departments, which occupy the second part of the store and account for “65 percent of our sales,” recalls Giancarlo Motta.

The team consists of 32 people – in the previous store were 7-and the recruiting effort focused very much on finding profiles with specific skills, such as craftsmen (plumbers, electricians) and professionals (including surveyors) to be employed in the store, in addition, of course, to the team of installers, thanks to a partnership with Golilla-the fourth company of the Adeo Group in Italy, of which Bricocenter is also a member-specializing in the laying and delivery of bulky products.

The Nov. 30 opening of the new Bricocenter Forli store is part of a period of celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the company, which opened its first store in Venaria, Italy, in November 1983.

In addition, In keeping with its identity, to celebrate its 40th birthday and the opening of its new store in Forlì, Bricocenter wanted to concretely demonstrate its closeness to the local area and specifically to the City of Forlì, donating, together with partner company Lotti, decorations and chains of lights to decorate eight city neighborhoods during the upcoming holiday season.

“The purpose of this new store,” Giancarlo Motta concludes, “is to present itself as a proximity store but, at the same time, be attractive to a catchment area within 25 minutes. The city of Forli offers great economic potential and a large number of families.”

A square actually well manned by industry distribution, so much so that competitors include a Brico OK-branded store ( 900 m away) and a Brico Io just under 4 km away.