In a complex and stimulating year like 2009, the Group did not stop exploring new ways of attracting a public with constantly changing tastes and demands. The store, one of the keys to the "Benetton world", and its evolution was the subject of the Opening Soon… exhibition organized at the start of the year at the Triennale in
Milan
. On display were innovative trends in retail design and the designs for stores already under construction or due for future construction by highly reputed architects and architectural firms. Ten designs were presented by seven renowned architects and architectural firms, commissioned by Benetton to design and build innovative, sophisticated flagship stores, which will be opened in coming years in certain cities that are symbols of the new transformation in the world. These include the store designed by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas which will be built in
Rome
's Via del Corso, and the flagship store in
Istanbul
, designed by Piero Lissoni with his Lissoni Associati. Other interesting projects are by Alberto Campo Baeza with his design for a building in Samara, Russia; by LaboratorioQuattro which worked on the projects in Aktyubinsk, Kazakhstan and Perm, Russia; by the firm of Arassociati which designed the stores in Pristina, Kosovo and in Iktutsk, Russia; by Architects Luciano Giorgi and Lili Bonforte of Pavia, who designed the store in Odessa, Ukraine; and by Cino Zucchi, for the stores in Brussels, Belgium and Kaliningrad, Russia.
The Opening Soon… exhibition also displayed the innovative entries by the finalists in the Colorsdesigner international competition. Young creatives, designers and architects from all over the world were invited to develop new retail concepts for large international apparel groups. The jury selected the design by Luis Miguel Pereira from
Portugal
. The other projects selected were by Godefroy Meyer (
Canada
), Kazuya Yamazaki, Ayako Kodera and Yuri Naruse (
Japan
), and Tommaso Bistacchi (
Italy
).