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Oct 6 - Oct 13,2002 |
Viva Italia exhibition opens amidst fanfare
Italian products celebrated by cinema stars and politicians at Holt Renfrew's flagship store
By Francesco Riondino
Originally Published: 2002-09-22
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Italy’s Minister of Trade Adolfo Urso and Holt Refrrew CEO Galen Weston
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A booming applause and a great many three-coloured flags were part of the welcome that the staff of Holt Renfrew gave to their chairman, Galen Weston, Italy's Minister of Trade Adolfo Urso, company president Andrew Jennings, and Italian Trade Commissioner Beniamino Quintieri. The four had entered the Bloor Street West store last Thursday for the official launch of Viva Italia.
Every wall displayed the images that gave fame to Italy: Dino Zoff raising the World Cup in Spain in that unforgettable 1982 game; tennis great Nicola Pietrangeli; and then Pietro Mennea, Sara Simeoni, Fausto Coppi, and especially Sophia Loren, still today the embodiment of Italian beauty and spontaneity.
Viva Italia is for Holt Renfrew "the biggest promotional event ever held in the 165 years of history of our company," Jennings proudly underscored.
"Rome was not built in a day," he continued, "and neither was this initiative. We've been working at it for the past two years, together with the representatives of the Italian government, in order to give our clientele the very best; no fewer than 75 new brands debut today on our shelves, coming from all corners of Italy where quality is a familiar concept."
With a smile and a few words in broken, but pleasant Italian, he then introduced Galen Weston, whom many deem Canada's most powerful man and clearly one of the main businessmen involved in trade with Italy. The George Weston Group, in fact, includes the most important food distribution chains, Holt Renfrew itself, as well or the Fortnum and Mason department stores in London.
A veritable ambassador of Italian goods?
"Not exactly an ambassador, but I feel somewhat Italian, since my wife [former Ontario Lieutenant Governor Hillary] is half Italian herself", he replied.
Then came the turn of Italy's Minister of Foreign Trade Adolfo Urso, speaking in Italian. There was an interpreter but many members of the staff did not need him; they were Italian-Canadians, and they have not forgotten the language.
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