Benvenuti retailer halts expansion this year

Footwear and leather products manufacturer Benvenuti has halted expansion of its store chain, and has put an end to negotiations for some of the projects, especially with shopping centres whose developers requested a rent level “totally disproportionate to the current market reality,” according to company representatives.
The majority of players in the clothing industry regard 2009 as a year of consolidation, not one of expansion, confining themselves to attracting customers to the existing areas.
Companies are finding it hard to maintain their business at the same level as in previous years, with many of them, among which AAV, Leonardo and Steilmann even considering closing down stores, with efficiency in mind.
“As a future strategy, we will be willing to open new stores only if we anticipate very high sales or very low rent (…),” said Adrian Cazu, manager of Benvenuti stores.