The Bacio Perugina has its own store in Perugia

The “Bacio” (“kisses” in Italian) is a chocolate delicacy famous throughout the Italian peninsula. Perugina produces it. Founded in Perugia in 1922, the Perugina brand has a store dedicated entirely to the glory of this specialty that made it famous.

Why do brands have their own stores?

FMCG brands have long sought to establish direct contact with the customer. Distributed in supermarkets, they do not know their customers and can only communicate with them indirectly (advertising, specific placement in-store). For the strongest brands, a sales outlet represents an unprecedented opportunity to build customer loyalty.

There are many examples in the food world: M&M in Times Square, the Casa Danone in Barcelona, Lindt stores. There are also more personal brands, such as Perugina, now owned by the Nestlé group.

Why are the stores called “Baci” and not “Perugina”?

The Bacio is typically Italian. Its brand image is solid. However, this image remains limited to the peninsula despite the takeover of Perugina by Nestlé in 1988.

First of all, please note that the store is not called “Perugina” (the name of the brand) but “Baci” (the name of the chocolate specialty known by all Italians). This is quite singular.

Despite its efforts to diversify, the Perugina brand is still driven by the massive success of “Baci.” The reason is that the store is primarily dedicated to Bacio. The other Perugina products (bars, classic chocolates) only have a secondary place. The rest of its range is accessory.

A reasonably small branded store format

The other characteristic of the store is its size. Although it is located in the heart of Perugina, it is not a flagship store. It is a classic commercial cell that is not very visible.

The products indeed have unparalleled visibility, and the entire range is available. Still, it lacks a marketing touch to attract new customers and increase the brand’s awareness among the many tourists who pass through Perugia.

By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab Dr. Pierre-Nicolas Schwab is the founder of IntoTheMinds. He specializes in e-commerce, retail and logistics. He is also a research fellow in the marketing department of the Free University of Brussels and acts as a coach for several startups and public organizations. He holds a PhD in Marketing, a MBA in Finance, and a MSc in Chemistry. He can be contacted by email, Linkedin or by phone (+32 486 42 79 42)