A new name in Italy

The company behind Jo-ho, the new Italian retail channel, is Prato-based Job & Hobby. At present four stores are being run under the Jo-ho logo: at Amaro (2 000 m²), Lido di Jesolo (1 400 m²), Fabriano (1 000 m²) and Adria (1 000 m²). The concept caters for outlets ranging from 1 000 m² to 2 500 m² in size, which are located in urban centres, built-up areas and country towns, far away from the shopping centres of the big cities. The aim is to arouse the interest of those consumers who seldom have a chance to travel to shopping centres, or who make use of the shops in their neighbourhood for reasons of convenience. DIY International talked to Urano Massai, chief executive of Job & Hobby, who used to work for Obi Italia and can draw on 20 years of experience altogether in the DIY industry. Why a new retail channel? There are already quite a number of retail channels in Italy and it is my idea to try to avoid the mistakes of the big-box operators by getting closer to the concept of the traditional retailer. What is the philosophy underlying your retail concept, and how did the rather striking name come about? The original intention was to name the brand Joby, a combination of ‘job’ and ‘hobby’, but that would have been too much like Obi. We ruled out the inclusion of ‘brico’, since that is used too often, so we went for Jo-ho in the end. The addition of ‘Il fai da te facile’ (do-it-yourself made easy) is intended as a message to customers that you can do a lot of jobs yourself, without necessarily encountering endless difficulties and problems. We envisage the setting-up of medium-sized shops, with the emphasis on the old-style, traditional ironmonger’s concept in a modern form and with extended product ranges that have something for the whole family. That’s why we have installed a counter in the entrance area, just like in an ironmonger’s shop, where an assistant is always at hand. So we are talking about counter service? That means if I ask for fixing plugs at the counter, I will get them then and there? That is the basic idea, even if it still needs some further polishing. At present you can find all types of cutting products at the counter, along with services such as paint tinting, key-cutting and a display of door locks. Doesn’t that require very thorough staff training? That’s unavoidable if we want to offer a conscientious job of work. However, I am not convinced by the logic of the department heads that our staffing numbers don’t allow for…