Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Considered the oldest pharmacy in the world, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella was born in Florence in 1221, when the Dominican friars founded the eponymous convent. It began to develop what would become a unique business reality, which today can claim long-standing experience in perfumes, personal care and home products.
Having joined the Italmobiliare Group in 2020, in just three years Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella has been the protagonist of an extraordinary growth: doubling revenues and the number of stores and employees. Today it is present in more than 30 countries with a distribution network made up of around 380 sales points, whereof 117 are monobrand, around a third of which are managed directly.
An important stage in this growth path has been the acquisition of the Japanese distributor in January 2024. This allowed Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella to directly operate in the country with a network of 16 shops - including freestanding, department stores and corners - consolidating the brand's presence in a country where its heritage and products are much appreciated by consumers.
Japan has therefore become the first Asian market in which the company is present with a dedicated branch and a network of direct sales points, a model already successfully adopted in the United States, as well as in Italy.
This growth will continue, with a particular focus on abroad, to which it was decided to give further impetus by appointing a new CEO and General Manager, Giovanna Paoloni, who has 20 years of experience in important luxury and retail multinationals, including Prada, Harrods, Value Retail and Bottega Veneta. “Thanks to her considerable skills, international experience and strategic vision, Giovanna Paoloni will be able to give further impulsion to the global development of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, always respecting the brand's history and tradition”, declared Carlo Pesenti, CEO of Italmobiliare and Chairman of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.
The goal is clear: growth must take place while respecting the centuries-old heritage of an institution that has traveled through time remaining a key point of reference in the urban and social fabric of Florence, as an icon of nature, grace, uniqueness and tradition on a global level. Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella must continue to be the custodian of an ancient know-how which, by virtue of its "essential" roots, is increasingly contemporary and appreciated.
And it is precisely about these ambitious projects that we wanted to talk to Giovanna Paoloni a few months after her appointment. Starting, first of all, from what motivated her to accept this assignment "I had accepted an offer from the main luxury group in the world, when the possibility of taking over the management of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella was presented to me. From the first introductory meetings, there was an excellent feeling and I fell in love with the project. I saw incredible potential, above all from the point of view of the history, which is unparalleled and which must be told and highlighted in the best possible way. Then in the product, which must be preserved and projected into the future, while respecting its unique heritage. Added to these strengths is the pride of being part of a large Italian group, which is fully aware of the company's value, history and tradition, and which has the resources to make it grow even more. All of these factors convinced me to seize this opportunity".
As soon as she took on the role she got to work, and on the road to visit some of the areas with the highest potential, starting with Japan, Korea and China, as well as all of the stores in Europe. “What I saw was absolutely incredible – says Giovanna Paoloni – the power of the brand, its strength. I saw enormous potential in the development of business and management models. I also received confirmation that we needed to structure ourselves better at the centre in order to reach markets in a more incisive and effective way”. And so, in the first few months, the CEO strengthened the front line with the integration of professionals who could supplement the existing team. “There is a wonderful variety of experiences; in my colleagues I saw passion, professionalism and a sense of belonging to the brand. Initially there was some concern about possible changes, a feeling that quickly transformed into huge positive energy. I am very grateful for the direction we all took together because it denotes a great team spirit".
People are central in Giovanna Paoloni's vision, who underlines "one of the objectives we are working on involves developing our talents with various initiatives. For example, for the retail area we have studied a targeted incentive plan and we will finalise specific growth paths”. She says in addition “We have to create the infrastructure to project the brand into the future”. This mainly involves the development of a consolidated reporting system and the possible expansion or strengthening of the best performing stores.
CEO di Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
On the product side, Giovanna Paoloni underlines how the strengths undoubtedly lie in the storytelling and vast range that Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella has to offer. “We want to rationalise and enhance our substantial product portfolio and we would like to create a type of packaging that is even more attractive and at the same time more sustainable”. And she concludes “together with the Deputy General Manager, Giampiero Pesenti, we are working to further improve the safety and performance of our production facilities to meet the higher market demand for our products and to study systems that make us even more attentive to the key topic of sustainability”.
As regards international development, which is one of the brand's main objectives, we ask her about Japan. Here in March, the press day for the presentation of the Eau de Parfum "I Giardini Medici" collection took place in the gardens of the Italian Embassy in Tokyo, an enchanting location, with more than 200 of the country's main media and business partners.
“Japan is a very fast-moving market, with young consumers, where the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella brand and products are recognised and very much appreciated. The numbers are already looking very good, but they are still marginal compared with this country's enormous potential, we have to be more incisive and determined. By acquiring our distributor, we have started a new phase of growth: we expect great results and we are certain that through the direct supervision of the new branch and a team of dedicated professionals we will strengthen our presence here even more”.
The inevitable question, though, is how to grow without distorting the brand? “There is no single recipe, it is a combination of factors: first of all, you must be faithful to your values and who you really are. Combining one's essence with the needs of modern consumers, in the awareness that buying something from Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is like buying a piece of Florentine history, regardless of which product you choose. Lastly, we can't look to the future without carefully reflecting on our sustainability plan; and we must do so in a meaningful way by drawing inspiration from a very important moment in the history of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella: the Renaissance, a conception of beauty that is to the good of all concerned. In other words, a Renaissance understood as a moment of rebirth, not just as a period of history. We are aiming for the same thing: a Renaissance of the future where nature and man are brought back to the centre of our value system. In this way Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella will become a way of being and seeing the world”.
