LUCCA. Alas Fillungo, how many shutters are down. The historic shopping street of Lucca has seen several closures in recent months, some of which concern historic businesses. High rents, saturation of supply, generational turnover, online purchases and revision of business strategies are among the reasons that push businesses to close their doors. Of course, the turnover to a certain extent testifies to the appeal that the area receives, but from a certain point of view it signals changes in the tastes of customers and in the economic fabric of the city. And seeing so many shutters down is certainly not a good sign. Let’s go in order.
Tenucci and the others
In recent days we have told the story of Tenucci, the historic clothing store opened since 1918 at number 54 in via Fillungo which has decided to move: it will reopen in via del Battistero 7 but it will certainly not be the same. It’s not the only case, at the beginning of the year another symbol of Lucca’s trade closed its doors: the Pierini fur shop, at number 149. «Gold, small groceries and furs are no longer in fashion – said Mrs. Giovanna, sighing, which saw that headquarters founded in 1938 – so we decided to stop, also because there is no one who could continue the business, given that I have no children and my grandchildren have taken other paths». Luckily there are also those who are opening, in the background of the Pierini fur shop there is a new Milani store, the sports shop which already has three other stores in Lucca. Now in via Fillungo there is Milanino, a store dedicated to the little ones.
Off with the chains too
A closed shutter is also found at number 30, between the Torre delle Ore and the Loggia dei Mercanti. It was the headquarters of the Fielmann optician, which at the beginning of the year decided to leave Lucca, where it had landed at the beginning of 2019. The company has reviewed its corporate strategy and decided to close 11 stores considered less sustainable. Lucca was among them. The fund is still vacant. Same story further on, at number 133 where until a few weeks ago there was the Thun shop, Italian leader in collectibles, including cute ceramic and porcelain teddy bears. Also in this case the company decided to close 22 stores throughout Italy, giving rise to a dispute with the unions regarding the fate of the four employees of the Lucca store.
The latest to abandon Fillungo is Gioielleria Fabiani, which opened at number 48 just a few years ago. From the company’s marketing office, which has two other stores in Lucca (in Sant’Anna and San Concordio) plus the one in Esselunga di Marlia, they let it be known that the decision is the result of a company strategy and is not linked to the price rents. More likely in this case it is the saturation of the market with many jewelery shops (Pandora above all) that has increased competition.
Ubik mystery
Bookshops are also suffering from a similar situation, following the recent opening of the Feltrinelli store in via Beccheria. A presence that clearly had an impact, so much so that the Ubik bookshop at number 137 in Fillungo has been closed for a few days. Also increasing fear for the fate of the historic business is the fact that the social pages associated with it have been deleted. Gina Truglio, owner of the business, prefers not to comment on the matter for the moment.
The mutation
The center of Lucca is transforming: from 2012 to June 2023 it lost 66 retail shops. Historical businesses are suffering in particular from the explosion of online commerce but also from the cost of rent, which in Fillungo has reached levels that are difficult to sustain. Many family-run businesses have closed, sometimes replaced by large chains, the only ones able to afford certain fees although the golden era is over for them too due to the “Amazon phenomenon”. The other side of the coin is the increase in activities linked to tourism: short-term rentals, B&Bs, restaurants but also service activities. Bars and restaurants have increased by 10 units in the center since 2012, no more just due to the stop on new licenses. The city of commerce changes its skin and not always for the better.
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