Natale Farinetti, known as Oscar (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɔskar fariˈnetti]; born 24 September 1954), is an Italian businessman and investor. Farinetti was the owner of the high-end Italian food mall chain Eataly and founder of the consumer electronics chain UniEuro.
Oscar Farinetti | |
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Born | 24 September 1954 Alba, Italy |
Culinary career | |
Cooking style | Italian |
Farinetti was born in Alba, Italy. His father was insurgent and deputy mayor of Alba Paolo Farinetti.[1] After attending the liceo classico Govone in Alba, he started studying Business in Turin in 1972, but dropped out from college in 1976.[2] His father Paolo founded a small local supermarket in 1967 and named it UniEuro; a few years later Oscar became actively involved in the business. He was appointed board member in 1978, and then CEO & Chairman until 2003.[3] The same year he decided to sell UniEuro to Dixons Retail for £230m.[4] In 2004 he founded the high-end Italian supermarket Eataly. The New York Times has described it as a "megastore" that "combines elements of a bustling European open market, a Whole-Foods-style supermarket, a high-end food court and a New Age learning center."[5] The company is based in Monticello d'Alba, Cuneo, Italy and currently controls 28 stores in 7 different countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, UAE, Italy, Turkey and Brazil).[6]
On March 18, 2014 Eataly opened its big 5,000-square-meter store in Piazza XXV Aprile in Milan. In November 2016, Eataly opened in Copenhagen.[7]
On November 13, 2019, Eataly opened a 50,000-square-foot store in Toronto, Canada in the Manulife Centre on Bloor Street.[8]
Farinetti's disruptive model has received significant media attention. His methods have been covered by publications including Forbes,[9] The New York Times,[10] The Atlantic[11] and the Chicago Tribune.[12]
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