Among the world’s High Streets, the heart of Milan’s fashion district offers the most exclusive services designed for a sophisticated clientele, making Milan a first class tourist destination. Tourists like Milan – a contributing factor being the recent institutional and private campaigns to promote the city on a number of levels. Such as “Unexpected Milan” the initiative presented in December at ILTM 2017 (International Luxury Travel Market) in Cannes, designed by MonteNapoleone District, the Milan City Council and some of the city’s most prestigious 5-star hotels to sell Milan as a high class international tourist destination.
Lombardy’s first city remains the favourite for shopping, with Via Montenapoleone, which based on Global Blue data, reached first place on the Old Continent in the period December 2016 – November 2017. The beating heart of the fashion district not only counts for a share of 36% compared with Milan’s other streets, but also holds the record for the highest average sales receipt – 1,809 euro, entirely devoted to purchases of everything that is “fashion”. Following Milan are Paris, with Avenue Montaigne, where an average of 1,729 euro was spent, and Madrid, with 1,602 euro recorded in Calle de Ortega y Gasset. Global Blue’s Europe-wide analysis, also highlights Munich’s famed Maximilianstrasse where, however, the average sales receipt features significantly in the “Watches and Jewellery” product category.
The excellent Italian result was highlighted during today’s press conference, which saw MonteNapoleone District, the association that represents more than 150 Global Luxury Brands present in Via Montenapoleone, Sant’Andrea, Verri, Santo Spirito, Gesù, Borgospesso and Bagutta, and Global Blue, international leaders in tax free services, together once again to further meet the demands of Globe Shoppers. An important contribution to the discussion came from Roberta Guaineri, Milan’sfor Tourism, who commented on the “rebirth” of Milan as a tourist destination: “2017 was crucial for Milan. Every month of the year recorded a positive balance with regard to arrivals in the city, with an overall increase of 10% over 2016. This is not an off-the-cuff figure, the trend has been positive for years now, even if the 2017 result is undoubtedly impressive. We have worked hard to improve Milan’s international positioning and see it considered a true tourist destination. We have promoted the city abroad, encouraged relations with tour operators and the press and maximized communication through the internet and social media. However, we did not do so alone – cooperation with the private sector was, and will increasingly be essential. In this context is the partnership with MonteNapoleone District for promotion of luxury tourism, which is particularly relevant for Milan. One need only consider that in the five years from 2013 to 2017, the number of high quality hotel beds has increased by over 3,100, that is +9.5%, in 11 new hotels. We are offering visitors who come here an appealing city with a full calendar of weeks, free events and great sporting events.
Among the services designed for high-end tourists, Stefano Rizzi, Country Manager of Global Blue Italia, presented the “Global Blue Suite” located in the MonteNapoleone VIP Lounge and created to offer a special welcome especially to international tourists. “It is a real pleasure to be here today” – said Global Blue’s number one. “Based on a successful concept that saw the creation of our Lounge in Via Santo Spirito, we have opened the Suite in an even more exclusive location that further enhances our range of services. Here Global Blue’s multilingual staff will offer non-EU tourists a unique welcome, as well personalized VAT refund assistance aimed at a select group of customers. With this partnership, Via Montenapoleone and the fashion district add further value to what is considered the mecca of shopping, where luxury is manifest in all its initiatives”.
“Thanks also to the Association’s activities, the district has become the world’s most sought-after luxury open-air mall, copied by many foreign developers of new shopping complexes” said Guglielmo Miani, President of MonteNapoleone District.” Everything from shops to museums, restaurants and hotels can be found within a radius of just a few metres. MonteNapoleone VIP Lounge unique in its kind, where all the first class services designed for the world’s most demanding international clientele can be found together. We have always believed in offering customers unique, unforgettable experiences, and in further increasing and developing all those initiatives that have enabled us to reach the top of every ranking compared with other cities in the rest of the world The numbers speak for themselves: the trend in Tax Free sales has been positive for the last eight years. And we do not want to stop, but to continue to fly”.
Montenapoleone VIP Lounge, at 23 Via Montenapoleone, Milan is a project developed by MonteNapoleone District which incorporates high-end services for the fashion district’s best customers. It is the first in the world to offer travellers a range of benefits and unique experiences. The elegance of the spaces reserved by MonteNapoleone District exclusively for its members and their best customers, combined with service of the highest quality, enable travellers to enjoy a pleasant break between one boutique and another, adding a plus factor to their shopping experience in the city. Tourists passing through Milan, especially foreigners, can find a series of made to measure, personalized services included in the voucher for access to the lounge. Among these is the opportunity to have luggage and shopping delivered to their airport of departure, and receive VIP assistance with completing tax refund formalities without queues or stress
MonteNapoleone District
MonteNapoleone District represents the more than 150 Global Luxury Brands located in Via Montenapoleone, Sant’Andrea Santo Spirito, Gesù, Borgospesso and Bagutta for the purpose of promoting the excellence of some of the world’s leading names. The aim is to organize, plan and put into effect various events of a cultural, charity or commercial nature aimed at increasing and promoting the Streets’ sales and services in the interest of both the members and their customers. By promoting the prestigious luxury streets not only as one of the world’s top shopping and lifestyle meccas, but also as places where tradition, history, creativity and innovation come together, it increases the quality of service and range of goods on offer to strengthen the primacy of the Quadrilatero and Milan as an international destination. To this end, MonteNapoleone District coordinates the stores and encourages the formation of an authentic, loyal spirit of solidarity and collaboration among all the streets’ commercial and tourism enterprises, creating partnerships with 5-star luxury hotels, restaurants, tour operators and service providers. MonteNapoleone District also collaborates with local, regional and national institutions, and works closely with national and foreign media. Since 2010, under Guglielmo Miani’s presidency, it has received new impetus that has increased and consolidated Montenapoleone’s image as a unique open-air luxury shopping centre. In eight years, the association has gone from 18 to more than 150 members, which include fashion labels, luxury accessories and real estate owners situated in Milan’s fashion district. For information: www.montenapoleone.luxury/it.html
Global Blue
A forerunner of the Tax Free Shopping concept, and active in the market for 40 years, today Global Blue is a world leader and offers “Globe Shopper” tourists the best shopping experience, creating value for its affiliates and partners with a unique range of products and services:
• Global Blue’s Tax Free Shopping enables thousands of retailers, including some of the world’s biggest luxury and fashion names, to offer foreign tourists the opportunity to quickly and completely safely obtain VAT refunds, saving up to 20% on goods purchased in more than 305,000 stores worldwide;
• Global Blue’s Dynamic Currency Conversion solutions enable merchants or ATM managers at 123,000 points of sale worldwide to offer foreign travellers a simple way of paying or being refunded in their own currency;
• Global Blue’s Intelligence & Marketing Services enable merchants to increase recognition of their brand and attract a greater number of visitors to their stores using data analysis and developing targeted marketing campaigns.
Between April 2016 and March 2017, Global Blue has handled 32 million Tax Free Shopping transactions, and 21.4 million through its Dynamic Currency Conversion services for a total of 20.5 billion euro’s worth of sales in the stores. Furthermore, thanks to a vast range of business intelligence information and its worldwide presence, Global Blue helps merchants to understand Globe Shoppers’ purchasing habits and behavior. To increase partners’ brand recognition, and with the support of marketing services (in-house agency and training courses), Global Blue has created numerous multi-channel marketing products, including digital services (14 million visits to its website) and a vast portfolio of advertising opportunities (3.2 million copies of the SHOP magazine and 4.4 million shopping maps, as well as its network of VIP Lounges). Global Blue is present in 52 countries, with over 1,900 employees worldwide. For further information: www.corporate.globalblue.com
