What will Fielmann do in Rome?
We publish the open letter from Giovanni De Napoli, entrepreneur in the optical sector in Rome, to Marc Fielmann (ceo of Fielmann)
Dear Marc Fielmann,
we learn from the interview with Mr. Ivo Andreatta – country manager in Italy of the Fielmann group – reported in Il Messaggero on 21 January last, that in 2022 his brand will open 4 stores in Rome.
His country manager talks about suspense for competitors with respect to the 4 locations chosen for these future openings. In reality, for those who know Rome and the optical sector, it is quite easy to guess that you will open in an area of Rome where there are other opticians and in particular you will literally open attached to a historical brand of Roman optics.
I am an entrepreneur like you – certainly not as good and famous – and I know very well the rules of the market, the written ones and the unwritten ones. Those of fair play between competitors, which are often rules for the benefit of everyone, including customers.
I am also a convinced liberal: the final judge of our choices is the market. However, some of the contents of the interview with Andreatta, which I must suppose exposes the "company philosophy", not least that reference to "suspense", requires me to make some reflections, which I decided to share with you with this open letter that has no other claim if not that of dialogue.
Let's start with an objective fact: in Rome Fielmann is literally opening up to the next street number of a historic and respected Roman optical brand. One of those entrepreneurs who helped create the market you are now addressing yourself to.
Without moral or value judgment, you will agree with me that it is not a good business card for a group that claims (and I always quote Andreatta's interview) that it wants to create value for the city.
A family business that has origins and family history, even when it reaches the size of a multinational, should continue to include within itself a professional ethics and some value assets that the "classic" multinationals do not have. And this heritage should be clearly manifested on some aspects, among which certainly there is the relationship with partners, the social fabric in which one operates, and therefore also with competitors.
The choice of arriving in a big city, as you yourself said "showcase" for the group in Italy, at the number following another optician is not exactly in line with what one would expect from a "democratic" professional ethics such as her.
I hope you appreciate my sincerity. Welcome to Rome!
Giovanni De Napoli
capaldOttica group 1963
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/che-cosa-combinera-fielmann-a-roma/ on Wed, 02 Feb 2022 10:28:52 +0000.