Overview

BENETTON is the story of an extraordinary family and the business they have built from humble origins to a skilfully orchestrated worldwide phenomenon. For no family and business arouse such controversy and embody so many apparently contradictory qualities. No other team name has such an ability to charm and shock, to subvert and yet preach conformism, to blend radicalism with capitalism, as Benetton. Behind the united colours and the seamless brand, there are also darker shades and looser threads. These include marginalised members of the family, aggrieved franchise holders and banks. This is a success story from the frontline of the retail company, where soft fabrics mix with the smell of high-octane petrol and Grand Prix motor racing, and coloured condoms combine with Catholicism and capitalism in their most red-blooded forms.

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9780751529975

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Reviews

'Stimulating and challenging ... BENETTON is a book that is both engaging and illuminating.' INDEPENDENT 'Fascinating.' IRISH TIMES 'A classic rags-to-ritches story' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Jonathan Mantle tells the tale at a cracking pace ... the material is genuinely rich, full of incident, and never dull' Tim Waterstone, MANAGEMENT TODAY 'BENETTON is a thorough gallop through the development of the company from a brother and sister operation to the global giant it is today.' IRISH TIMES 'Mantle tells their story well and does not shy away from addressing Benetton's controversial and shocking advertising campaigns.' SUNDAY TIMES 'BENETTON is a book that is both engaging and illuminating.' INDEPENDENT Luciano Benetton is the founder of one of the biggest family businesses of this century. His father died when he was 10 and he and his sister Giulana became the breadwinners for his mother and two younger brothers. Life in Italy after the war was hard but Luciano and Giuliana made good, and between them they built an empire. So big is Benetton that it has been through periods in which a new store opened somewhere in the world nearly every day. The figures in the book quote 8000 current stores in 120 countries. The Benetton story is presented by Jonathan Mantle. He takes a very straight approach to his subject which means there isn't a huge amount of commentary or interpretation. Input from observers outside the company is limited which means that while the book covers areas like the controversial advertising campaigns, the Formula 1 sponsorship problems, concerns with the Benetton method of shop franchising and with the use of sub contracted staff in manufacturing, it does so in a rather dry way. The upshot is a book which is easy to read and works excellently as a primer into the rise and rise of the Benetton empire, and, in particular, how it has diversified from clothing manufacture into other areas. But don't expect any revelations or dirt-dishing.' Sandra Vogel, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW

A classic rags-to-riches story of an Italian post-war economic miracle: Benetton. It is an all-Italian saga of four children who started with nothing and built a clothing empire which supplies 8000 shops in 129 countries and has its own Formula 1 motor-racing team. Like the brand, whose advertising is never too far away from controversy with its lurid imagery - enigmatic, baffling and bordering on the obscene - the story of the family is a compulsive tale of terrorism, adultery and scandal. Mantle's book is a detailed and straightforward business biography. Although it claims to have penetrated the dark, secretive world of Benetton, the well-oiled publicity machine seems to have done more to promote Luciano and Giuliana, the heads of the family and the brand. In particular, consultation of external opinion that could be potentially damaging regarding its business ethics, practices and failures has been kept to a minimum. Benetton is trying to reinvent itself as a global phenomenon, but it remains to be seen whether this unlikely pair can continue to exercise such an extraordinary degree of creative and entrepreneurial power, and whether the family can keep ultimate control of the company. All in all, this is a fascinating business biography of a family behind one of the great global brands of the 20th century. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Jonathan Mantle is the author of bestselling biographies of Jeffrey Archer and Andrew Lloyd Webber and his revelatory book on Lloyd's of London FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS received international coverage. Previous Books: Benetton , In for a Penny , Fanfare

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