Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1489908
5 NEWS 12.1.2023 TheCorner.com: franchising a platform THECORNER.COM started out as a re- tailing venture by two brothers, Vittorio and Alberto Chalon, some 20 years ago in the northern Lombardy region of It- aly. eir first store is located in Magenta, 24 km from Milan, the second in Biella, halfway between Milan and Turin. en they opened in Ancona on the Adriatic coast in the Marche region and in nearby Chiaravalle. While they do see the potential of e-commerce and had in fact invested in acquiring eCorner.com, the brand still wants to expand its retail network through franchising. Consequently, it has opened outlets in Marseilles, Biar- ritz and Monte Carlo, along the French Riviera, Lugano in Switzerland and have just added Malta's outlet at St Julian's, operated by the Dizz Group. According to eCorner.com CEO Vittoria Chalon, they have big plans to expand the franchise network to North Africa, starting with Tunisia, Eastern Europe, and North and Central Ameri- ca, including the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. "e goal is to be more brand-driven than we are today, bringing our clients the top in class. e top in class is not always a well-known brand," he said, giving as an example Doucal's in men's shoes. "Everyone talks about Church, Berlu- ti and, lower down, Santoni. Doucal's is not so heavy, well priced, good quality and hard-wearing. Today, nobody wants to wear shoes for 10 years. ey want to change them. So, you have to pay the right price. We aim to provide products that you can keep for years but, when you are bored of wearing them, selling them second hand could be an option since they are still good quality. "If you buy a Gucci, you will never give it away but, after a while, you will get bored of it. Ladies always need to look trendy with something new and nice, no matter the label." eCorner.com approached the Dizz Group through an intermediary since it was identified as the right player to part- ner with in Malta, with a host of stores and an excellent infrastructure. e Dizz Group provided what Mr Chalon referred to as "the best location on the island" and they verified it with an on- site visit. eir market research showed that no- body adopted a similar approach or had the same way of thinking – "you don't find it anywhere else in the world". ere was also room in the market for such an outlet, with a middle class and high-class segment that was high spending, and a high influx of tourists visiting the island. As soon as they started talking with the Dizz Group, Vittorio said he immediate- ly established a good relationship with Diane Izzo, Chairperson and CEO of the Dizz Group, and they then finalised the franchise agreement. He added that he also sees great poten- tial in extending the retail network fur- ther in Malta through the Dizz Group. "ere could be stores attracting differ- ent target groups – more street, more classic, more fashion-oriented, more contemporary. Malta, to me is the Dizz Group, so whatever Dizz Group is going to consider and wants to develop – we are going to be with them." eCorner.com combines an e-com- merce platform that promises delivery within 48 hours with physical stores in a growing number of locations. e customer is the central focus and, if you don't find the item in store and it is avail- able online, it can be sourced from any- where in the network. New HandsOn Systems IBD manager to spearhead international expansion AHMED Marwan is the new Interna- tional Business Development Manager of local IT company HandsOn Systems, based at the Mosta Technopark. Marwan, promoted internally to his new role, has been working with Hand- sOn Systems since 2013, when he head- ed the sales to the Libyan market. When that market was closed tempo- rarily, he joined the technical team as a technician in 2015 and continued work- ing in sales, taking care of the Oman market. He was subsequently promoted to technical supervisor, gaining experi- ence in all HandsOn Systems telematics devices and solutions, both installation and maintenance: the Fleet manage- ment suite, Task Master for workforce management of field workers, RFID, IoT and Aktuaris, the usage-based insurance platform. A graduate with a B.Sc. in Econom- ics and Management from the London School of Economics, Marwan will be seeking to consolidate the business in the countries where HandsOn Systems already operates, including Italy, Ghana, Tunisia, Libya, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Serbia and Algeria. While the core technology of HandsOn Systems is developed in Malta, the com- pany is recruiting programmers in these markets to complement its product de- velopment. It is also seeking to expand its sales even through local operations, which Mr Marwan will be endeavouring to maximise. "e only way for HandsOn Systems to continue to grow is through overseas expansion," affirmed Geoffrey Farrugia, HandsOn Systems CEO. "anks to Ahmed's expertise and sound practical background, we can make further in- roads and also expand into new markets. "e company is constantly investing in the internationalisation of its busi- ness and is actively seeking partners and investors to collaborate with not only in our existing markets but also in new ones beyond our current geographic tar- get area." Marwan expressed his gratitude to HandsOn Systems for the faith placed in his capabilities to take on this new role. "is is an exciting time to be working at HandsOn Systems and I look forward to its further expansion internationally," he said. Ahmed Marwan