“Pets are members of the family”

Everything started with the Chihuahua Heidi, Chiara Giorgi’s passion for dog fashion and a page on Facebook called “Heidi and Friends” that Chiara Giorgi created at the end of 2001. The page was so successful that in a very short time it had received almost 26 000 “likes”. People seemed to go crazy for the story of the fashion dog Heidi and followed her life through the pictures Chiara posted almost every day, say the two proprietors. “We then decided that it was worth a try to create something bigger that did not exist previously. First we analysed the market and noticed that there were almost no boutiques for pets in Italy, meaning shops selling refined luxury fashion dresses and accessories for small and medium-sized dogs and cats.” As a result, Chiara Giorgi and Marco Garuti decided to leave their jobs and travel around the world for six months to look for new exclusive brands to sell under exclusive licence to Italian pet shops and direct customers. “We found brands that were very popular in their respective markets but were not known at all here in Italy and in Europe. It was then that we decided to establish H&F Distribution, a company specialising in the online sale of luxury fashion products for small to medium-sized dogs and cats.” Immediately the two received a great response to this initiative and sales started to grow rapidly.

“However, we had the feeling that there was something missing. This is why we decided to open the shop Bautique right in the middle of Ferrara,” says Marco Garuti. The shop has a retail area of around 140 m2 on two floors and offers luxury fashion accessories and clothes for small to medium-sized dogs and cats to the customers. “Very soon we will also be able to sell gourmet pastry for pets. It goes without saying that our pro­ducts are in the medium to high price segment.” The products for sale are mainly displayed on recessed shelves and divided into categories or types. When the customer enters, he will find the clothes on both sides and the accessories right at the front behind the counter. The clothes are further divided into sporty and high-fashion styles. “The assortment mainly comprises our exclusive brands, like Kinggos, Zu&Lu, bk atelier, Suck Right, Monchouchou, Curli, Alqo Wasi, Dosha Dog, Oops my dog, Oops my cat, Bow miu wow, Canada Pooch, and Bubba Rose. Although we do have also more commercial items in the range,” says Marco Garuti. What sells best depends heavily on the…