Dive Brief:

• Upscale retail and restaurant chain Eataly announced Monday it has named Tommaso Brusò as the new CEO of its North American division, effective Oct. 2.
• Eataly also announced plans to open an additional five stores in North America in the next two years as part of an “ambitious growth strategy” to open 20 stores in North America within the next five years. 
• The North America CEO position is a newly created role for Eataly as the company embarks on its expansion on that continent, Eataly Group CEO Andrea Cipolloni said in a statement.

Dive Insight:

As Eataly begins on a North American expansion, Brusò brings experience from serving as CEO and other senior roles in the retail sector. 

Brusò most recently served as Group CEO of the sustainable clothing brand Colorful Standard under RTG Group. 

Prior to Colorful Standard, Brusò was global chief operating officer for Benetton Group. In that role, he spent a “significant period of time” in the U.S., per the press release. Before that, he served as CEO for several companies including Diesel North America from 2013-2017, Italian luxury brand Furla Americas from 2008-2013 and Italian leather goods brand Fedon for the United States from 2004-2008.  

“I believe that my significant experience in the fashion industry will make a strong contribution to taking the Eataly brand to the next level,” Brusò said in the announcement. 

The Eataly announcement said he has “significant senior leadership experience” with working for retail brands and growing them in North America.

The Italian restaurant and retail chain opened its first North American store in 2010 in New York and now operates nine locations across the continent in cities like Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas and New York. Altogether, Eataly operates nearly 50 stores in 16 countries. 

“Tommaso arrives at an important time for the Group and will be instrumental to the development and growth of a market of primary importance for Eataly,” Cipolloni said in the announcement. “His role involves close collaboration with the new senior management who have joined the company in recent months.”

Earlier this year, Eataly made several senior management appointments including a new CFO, chief operating officer and head of human resources. The company appointed Cipolloni in November.

Last September, independent European investment firm Investindustrial — Eataly Group’s majority shareholder — announced an investment of approximately $194 million to support the specialty Italian grocery chain’s global expansion efforts.

Eataly is reportedly set to open its first Philadelphia-area location at the King of Prussia Mall, according to recent local news reports. 

Earlier this month, DoorDash unveiled Eataly as one of its several new grocery delivery partners. The e-commerce delivery provider has its services available at seven Eataly stores in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. Early in the pandemic, Eataly joined forces with e-commerce platform Mercato to offer same-day grocery delivery in downtown New York City, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago.