HIGHER SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES

NOVI SAD
BUSINESS ENGLISH 2

COMPANY HISTORY OF THE BENETTON GROUP

Candidate:

Mentor:

Nikola Vujadinovi 371/07FR

Nikola Dobri

Novi Sad, 2009

Luciano, Giuliana, Gilberto and Carlo Benetton are founders of the Benetton
group. The Benetton family grew up poor, their father, who owned a car and
bicycle rental business, died while they were children. They established
Benetton in 1965 in Treveso, Italy.
Today Benetton group is most known for its leading brends such as : United
Colors of Benetton, Sisley, Playlife and Killer Loop. Killer loop and Playlife
are mororiented on young people and sportswear while the Sisley is more
fashion oriented. The company produces around 130 000 000 garments
yearly and has over 5 000 retail stores over the Globe, it has approximately 8
700 employees all over the World. Benetton is one of the leading fashion
brands in Europe with 155 000 000 euros net income in 2008.How did it all
started? Luciano, the oldest of four children was inspired when he saw
colourful clothes in a store. So he sold his younger brothers bicycle so that
he could buy a used knitting machine aldough he was only 20 years old
( born on May 13th 1935). His first small collection of garments had
possitive critics from local stores in Veneto reigion. This encouraged him to
call his sister Giuliana and two younger brothers Carlo and Gilberto to join
him. And finally ten years after buying his first knitting machine The
Benetton group was born. In 1966. the family opened a small store in
Belluno and three years after in 1969 they opened another store in Paris
fashin capital of the world. Their current positions are : Luciano chairman;
Carlo deputy chairman; Giuliana director; Gilberto director plus, they
have a help from Lucianos oldest son - Alessandro Benetton whose position
is - executive deputy chairman. Benetton Group S.p.A. has toned down its
controversial advertising campaigns as it seeks to restore its momentum in
the 2000s. In the 1990s Benetton launched an advertising campain that was,
in the eyes of American and Asian customers, found wery controversial.
Bilbords, comercials and advertising messages didnt achive planned results
aldough Benetton wanted to break through in to the American and Asian
market. In that time the Group was threatened with tough concurrence such
as Zara, The Gap and H&M. They startted stealing Benettons customers.
But today after all Benetton sells wery good all over the World with 90% of
its garments made in Europe.
Nonetheless, Benetton remains one of the world's largest and most wellknown clothing empires. The Benetton family also has stepped back from
active management of the company, turning over its operations to CEO
Silvano Cassano, appointed in 2003.

References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benetton_Group
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Benetton_Group
http://www.benettongroup.com/en/whoweare/history.htm
http://www.krstarica.com/recnik/srpsko-engleski/index.php?