Rinascente in Piazza Duomo in Milan celebrated with an exclusive party the 60th anniversary of Diabolik, the famous comic created in 1962 by the Milanese sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani. The party, on the seventh floor of the department store, was preceded by an amazing performance outside, which staged a theft in full King of Terror style. Two actor-acrobats, with the features of Diabolik and his charming partner Eva Kant, descended on the Rinascente’s facade, in an acrobatic dance. Once they reached the ground, amidst smoke bombs, siren sounds and special effects, the two thieves broke into a large safe in front of the store entrance, revealing its contents: the new comic entitled ‘Colpo alla Rinascente’. In this new edition, Diabolik, playing the role of Rinascente CEO Pierluigi Cocchini, manages to penetrate the store and rob the vault. The comics have been printed in 365’000 copies. Rinascente has dedicated all of its eight store windows to Diabolik; they have been covered with canvases and graffiti made by artists of We Run The Streets. The Air Snake area in the store is dedicated to the King of Terror, featuring celebratory and collectible objects of all kinds, from Facciolo's lithographs to books and T-shirts.
Talking about the current market situation, CEO Pierluigi Cocchini revealed that the business was on a much better track, with some of the stores like in Milan, Rome Tritone, Florence and Turin exceeding the turnover of 2019, as tourists are back. European and Arab customers and an exceptional performance by US customers boosted the stores sales, a new situation as in the past China and Russia used to represent the second and third markets respectively, after the EU. Online activity, which Rinascente launched in 2020 only in Italy, should generate sales of 15 million this year. The most performing categories recently were accessories, in particular for women, followed by clothing, with a good performance of menswear, and beauty. Next campaign to be organised is the Christmas one with the theme 'Believe in Wonder'.