Bricocenter Italia inaugurated on March 27th in Asti (Piedmont) the third of the four stores acquired last October with the conveyance of the business branch from the Bricofer group.
The store, with an area of about 2,500 square meters, is located in Corso Alessandria 246, on an important road axis for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic: a strategic position that combines the vocation of a “neighborhood store” with the strengthened product and solution offering, typical of Bricocenter stores in medium-sized cities.
The store team consists of 29 employees: 11 of them were already present in the Self-branded store, and 3 experienced the first opening twenty years ago. This opening represents a welcome return for Bricocenter to the Asti community.

The new store hosts the widest range of Bricocenter’s offerings for home and garden maintenance, repair, and renovation. The new openings in recent months – following Alba (February 27th) and Vercelli (March 13th), Asti (March 27th) and with the inauguration of the Borgo San Dalmazzo store scheduled for mid-April – celebrate the resumption of development for Bricocenter, a historic brand in the Italian retail landscape, and bring the number of direct stores to over 50, in addition to the 12 franchise stores, to always be the best ‘Neighbors to Do It’ for customers.

The store is spread over two floors, with a showroom featuring doors, flooring, windows, and a bathroom area on the first floor; the classic departments (hardware, DIY, garden) animate the ground floor. In the outdoor area, there’s ample space for garden and construction supplies: a noteworthy detail is the store’s 7 a.m. opening, which is useful for also capturing the professional target in addition to the classic do-it-yourselfer.

PRODUCT FOCUS

“The Asti store hosts the widest range of Bricocenter’s offerings to comprehensively cover all needs related to maintenance and repair, the core of the business,” explains Paolo Morini, Bricocenter’s Offer Director, “as well as a very rich selection for home improvement, decoration, and habitat enhancement.”

The ample spaces have allowed for the introduction of several new product families, totaling over 20,000 items, ensuring immediate availability (in ready stock) of displayed products and therefore a ready-made solution for all customer needs.

The showroom area features bathroom solutions – with furniture, shower enclosures, and “turnkey” sanitary replacement options – as well as displays of tiles and laminates, doors and windows.

The Asti store includes a reinforced area of garden-dedicated products: furniture, motorized machines, and tools, while the outdoor area hosts a comprehensive selection of building materials, which, combined with the daily 7:00 a.m. opening, meets the needs of all DIY enthusiasts, including those in small construction projects.

In the store, space has also been given to the car accessory range, with an enhancement in liquids and batteries.

FOCUS ON STORE, TERRITORY AND TEAM

“The store’s layout,” says Pietro Boffelli, Director of the Bricocenter store in Asti, “is a linear path that naturally guides customers for a smooth and intuitive shopping experience and was redesigned during a significant re-looking intervention.”

In recent months, however, the Asti team has not only dedicated itself to setting up the store: “we have used this period to integrate ourselves more and more into the local community,” adds the Director. “Starting with participation in the IoLavoro job fair, through presentation activities with stands, up to home visits to the homes of several customers: this ‘behind closed doors’ period has not kept us away from the Community but has instead allowed us to understand the needs of our territory to better respond to the needs of this City that retains the memory of our store, several years ago”.

“In this integration into the city’s fabric, the presence in the new Asti team has already proven fundamental, with 11 employees already present in the store under the Self banner, 3 of whom participated in the first opening of this store 20 years ago,” says Roberto Maestrale, Regional Director. “Their bond with the territory is strong, and their skills are recognized and awaited by customers.”

The team, which has alternated classroom training, in-store shadowing, and discovery visits to the Bricocenter stores in Turin Cigna and Savona, currently consists of 29 employees, but there are still some open positions in the areas of reception and sales.

FOCUS ON SERVICES

Also available at the Asti store are all the traditional Bricocenter proximity services, from the color center with decorative effects, wood cutting, key duplication, to laying and installation services, up to ‘turnkey’ bathroom renovation solutions, also thanks to a partnership with a network of trusted artisans.

In Asti as well, Bricocenter confirms the remote sales relationship through the online site, which offers more than 23,000 products available on average within 72 hours with home delivery, including telephone purchase service and the possibility of in-store pickup starting from 4 hours after ordering.

Bricocenter, a long-standing Italian brand, is Adeo’s city-based format in Italy. Its stores are smaller than Leroy Merlin and Tecnomat but more centrally located. Currently, Bricocenter has over 50 direct stores and 12 franchised stores.