Today we are with Francesco Sorrenti, owner and founder of L'Oasi dei Fiori, a plants and flowers boutique located in one of the most exclusive areas of Milan, for a short interview about his business and the renovation project of the store just realized by Organizzazione Orlandelli.
• Hi Francesco, can you please briefly introduce L’Oasi dei Fiori?
• L’Oasi dei Fiori by Sorrenti Francesco, (in english “The flowers oasis”), was inaugurated in 1998 in Milan, when I opened my first flower kiosk, after seven years of work in this sector. Over time, the business has expanded thanks also to the support of my wife and my two brothers who still work with me today. This allowed us to open a second kiosk and a shop. Since December 2019 we have also added our eCommerce
www.loasideifiorishoponline.it to the physical stores. This sales channel was very important during the pandemic as it allowed us to continue serving our customers and many new garden enthusiasts, considering at the beginning we were the only florists in Milan able to provide eCommerce service. Currently, the Oasi dei Fiori by Sorrenti Francesco consists of a shop, two kiosks and an eCommerce.
• Your shop is now located in a different place than your previous shop, even if it is not far away and is still within the same neighborhood. When did you decide to renovate your store and what led you to do it?
• I have always wanted that position within the neighborhood and finally after 20 years I was able to place our shop there. This is a strategic position within our historic neighborhood. The only thing I needed at that point was an exhibition layout capable of enhancing the exhibition, attracting the attention of customers, especially younger customers. From there I contacted Organizzazione Orlandelli for the realization of the project.
• How did you discover Organizzazione Orlandelli and how did you get in touch with us?
• I have always known Organizzazione Orlandelli because it is always present at sector fairs, and I had already had the opportunity to make some purchases before this important project. I still remember when I bought my first
display cart, which I still use today after many years. The positive experience over time led me to turn to you also to set up the store and I immediately received good ideas that made me understand that relying on Organizzazione Orlandelli was the right choice to enhance my store.
• What struck you most in the realization of the project?
• The speed with which the final project and its actual installation at the store was reached was certainly the thing that struck me most. The fact of being able to have the store ready for sales and furnished according to our needs, without wasting time in any phase of the work was positive.
• When entering the shop, the tulip graphic behind the packing table captures the customer's attention. Do you want to tell us a little more about those graphics?
• Of course. We studied this graphic together with the Orlandelli Design Team who accompanied us in the realization of the project. It was very important for us to be able to have a colored wall capable of representing L’Oasi dei Fiori by Sorrenti Franscesco and we found exactly what we were looking for.
• How has your store changed once the new Organizzazione Orlandelli shopfitting solutions has been installed?
• The aesthetic aspect of the shop has totally changed. Now the store has a much more elegant look and is more attractive to customers.
• What was the impact of the new layout on customers?
• We have seen an increase in new customers, especially at the young age group and especially in the female segment. We propose our shop as a reference point for the new generation of green lovers and this layout fully satisfies the expectations of the young public, which has totally different needs and expectations compared to the classic more mature customer.
• Are you satisfied with the final result?
• I am very satisfied also because I did not expect such a high increase in visits within the store. Now I can present the product range, which has been expanded compared to the previous shop, in an orderly and elegant way.
Thank you, Francesco, for the time you dedicated to us and for choosing Organizzazione Orlandelli to design your new store.