Rizzoli is the latest illustrated book publisher to offer retailers incentives to set up branded sections. In the wake of recent announcements by Taschen, which began placing branded areas in art museum stores this summer, Rizzoli plans to open nine Rizzoli Studios in independent bookstores and upscale lifestyle retailers by Christmas. And it has hired former Taschen America founder Ausbert de Arce, who also founded Assouline Publications, to spearhead the project, which involves a curated selection of Rizzoli titles across all five imprints—Rizzoli, Universe, Flammarion, Skira, and Skira Rizzoli. The books are displayed under a single Rizzoli Studio banner.
After testing the program and the product mix at the end of February at three Books & Books stores in South Florida, Rizzoli began rolling it out to stores on both coasts, Mexico, and Canada at the end of November. The stores range from Poltrona Frau in New York City to Teatro Verde in Toronto, and Casa Palacio in Mexico City, where a freestanding Rizolli Studio store is also planned. “The concept is to have shops in shops. I think that’s the future,” says de Arce, who organized the books “like a crazy quilt, a riot of color and words. I love the sight of a cookbook next to an art book next to a photography book—each book standing out on its own.”
“We think people miss the time when shopping was a special experience,” adds Jennifer Pierson, v-p of sales and marketing at Rizzoli. “By creating Rizzoli Studio we are giving that back to the consumer, and our expectation is that Rizzoli Studios will become destinations.” In fact some participating booksellers have found that they already are.
“Book Passage is delighted to be part of the Rizzoli Studio project,” says Elaine Petrocelli, co-owner of the iconic Bay Area bookstore. “Our Rizzoli sales have already increased, and we are looking forward to a Rizzoli Christmas.” At Books & Books, too, owner Mitchell Kaplan says, “the response has been tremendous. The Rizzoli Studio proves that the tactile appeal of beautiful books endures in the digital age.”
In addition to the studios, Rizzoli continues to maintain its own stores in major cities around the world. Its London store in Somerset House is slated to triple in size in 2012, and according to Rizzoli CEO Marco Ausenda, both the flagship store on 57th Street in New York City and the Milan store are enjoying “robust” sales.
