During the inauguration of the store in Asti (Bricocenter‘s third of the four new Piedmontese stores), we interviewed the newly appointed CEO, Adriano Ciarletti, who told us about the company’s plans.

Buyer Point: Let’s start with a necessary question: are you satisfied with this new appointment? What new perspectives do you feel you bring with your experience, especially in the digital world, and how do you plan to integrate the physical and online channels?

Adriano Ciarletti: I am very satisfied and motivated by this new challenge. My career has led me to work in both physical retail, in hypermarkets in France, and in the digital world, with significant e-commerce experiences in France and Brazil.

The fundamental thing I have learned and intend to bring with me is the focus and passion for customer service.

To aim for success, a company must build loyalty among its clientele, regardless of the channel. This is the key that goes beyond the simple means of sale.

Buyer Point: Speaking of customer service, there’s increasing talk about ‘tech in back,’ meaning leveraging technology in the back-end while maintaining human contact with the customer. Do you share this vision?

Adriano Ciarletti: Absolutely. I always maintain that company culture and people are more important than processes, which in turn are more important than the technological tool. Technology always comes after the development of a culture truly oriented towards the customer and the valorization of the people who make the difference in the direct relationship with the consumer.

Buyer Point: In recent years, the DIY-hardware sector has experienced two periods of strong growth: first with Covid and then with construction bonuses. What now appears to be a certain ‘halt’ in the market, isn’t it perhaps a return to normality after a period of exceptional growth?

Adriano Ciarletti: That’s a reasonable analysis, although as far as Bricocenter is concerned, we didn’t benefit as significantly from the construction bonuses, as our focus is on home maintenance and renovation, not major renovations. Certainly, Covid had an impact, pushing people to focus on their homes, and from there we continued an organic growth, I would say, without particular peaks linked to those conjunctures.

Buyer Point: Speaking of presence in the territory, Bricocenter seems to combine elements of large-scale distribution with a customer focus typical of a traditional store. Is this your strategy?

Adriano Ciarletti: We, as the Adeo Group and as a structured company, bring the industrialization of the back-office, purchasing, tools, and layout. This allows us to optimize many internal processes that then translate into the best possible service for the customer. But the heart of our philosophy is to give our employees the ‘keys’ to build a rich and profitable relationship with the customer. This human and traditional aspect remains fundamental for us and makes the real difference.

Buyer Point: An important challenge for the future, but perhaps already for the present, is to reach younger age groups, who represent the customers of tomorrow. These groups are used to different purchasing methods, I’m thinking of social commerce. How are you planning to reach such a different audience?

Adriano Ciarletti: There are two aspects to consider. The first is that it’s natural for our current clientele to be on average older, as young people tend to invest in homes at a later stage in life. So, bringing very young people into the store is not our immediate priority, but their time will come.

The second point is that we absolutely must pay attention to and follow the evolution of their purchasing and pre-purchasing habits. On this front, we are experimenting with several interesting initiatives.

In large cities, we have a partnership that allows us to offer very fast delivery times, even less than an hour, thus intercepting a new way of buying.

Furthermore, we have developed purchasing via WhatsApp, which allows customers to directly contact our employees or the store for information, orders, or advice. Regarding social media like TikTok, we don’t rule out exploring them in the future, but not to follow a passing trend.

Every initiative must have a strategic sense and bring concrete value, not just views from an audience that will hardly convert into customers in the short term.

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.