by RICHMOND HILL, Ontario– Bellini Modern Living, a leading wholesaler and distributor of modern Italian furniture based in Canada, has partnered with Hudson’s Bay to roll out exclusive, private-label Spazio brand galleries in 10 of the retailer’s flagship stores across Canada, and on TheBay.com.
Featured in Hudson Bay’s Fall Fashion campaign this month, the Spazio product encompasses leather upholstery, dining, occasional and entertainment furniture. The 750-square-foot galleries, each with a unique, residential look that highlights the flexibility of the line, are located in what the retailer calls its “premium gallery space” surrounded by complementary luxury brands.
According to Hossein Azimi, chief executive officer, Bellini Modern Living, the Canadian luxury goods department store chain is the oldest and longest-surviving company in North America. “One of the reasons Hudson’s Bay has survived the test of time is that they are constantly evolving their product mix, and like us, believe they must continually reset the bar in terms of fashion to stay fresh and attract new customers.”
Over time, Michael Pinet, buyer of furniture and décor at Hudson’s Bay, said the retailer has noted the tastes of Canadian shoppers shifting heavily toward contemporary design. “We’ve also found that Made in Italy product particularly resonates with our customers, making the Spazio product line an ideal fit for us.”
“As we continue to grow our assortment in contemporary goods, we were attracted to the Spazio brand because many of our customers live in urban areas with smaller spaces, and these beautiful, high-quality designs can be configured to fit any size home,” Pinet said.
Indeed, the Spazio brand “checked every box for our upper-end stores,” not only due to its contemporary aesthetic, but because Hudson’s Bay has found that younger customers in particular have little tolerance for long-lead times in furniture. “All of the Spazio designs are in-stock and warehoused in Toronto for fast delivery,” Pinet noted.
“As a buyer, it is very easy to fall in love with beautiful products, but if you can’t get them to your customer, what’s the point?” the retailer said. “This is particularly true for a department store because your shopper may be coming in to buy a sofa today, but they come in every other weekend to buy cosmetics, or apparel or shoes. If we lose them in furniture because we can’t meet their expectations for fast delivery, we lose them in every other department. That’s a danger, and the reason why so many department stores are no longer in business today.”
“Bellini Modern Living and Hudson’s Bay share a lot of the same values, the same ideas, the same vision and aesthetics. We both get involved in the smallest details because we know it’s going to matter to our customer,” Azimi said. “We are honored to announce this important and very special brand collaboration between our companies.”
