MASCHERONI

MASCHERONI
Driven to success
Mascheroni, the self-titled “first horse riding equipment shop in Italy”, has gone from humble
beginnings to dominate the Italian retail Industry and it is all down to a line of strong and
dedicated family entrepreneurs.
Carter K., Horse International No 5 - Industry Update, May 2013
A strong equestrian heritage
One of the country’s leading equestrian brands, retailer Mascheroni, has enjoyed a strong
heritage and long-term association with horses, and carriage driving in particular. Despite its
very modern retail persona in 2013, with large mall-like department stores, and hundreds of
international brands stocked, the company actually began life in 1898 as a small, family-run
manufacturing business.
Modern consumers who know and love the concept Mascheroni stores in Brianza, near Milan,
with their shiny, impressive aisles of sporting brands and fashion items, may be surprised to
learn that the company began life as a small, traditional workshop of saddlers based in rural
Giussano, near Milan in Lombardy; one of Italy’s most affluent regions. The team was led by a
young entrepreneur, one Carlo Mascheroni.
Carlo was a true equestrian enthusiast and the first in a family of saddlers; he specialised
in creating beautiful leather harnesses and bridles for horses and carriages. The turn of the
century is considered by many as the golden age of carriage driving, as the horse and carriage
would have been used by many families, from humble deliverymen to ‘mean of means’. At this
time, Italy’s horses were predominantly used as breeding stock for either meat production or
military use, or as working horses for agriculture or personal transport. Carlo saw a business
opportunity, and began building the family saddlery business, to meet the needs of local
horse owners.
Carter K., Horse International No 5 - Industry Update, May 2013
Rider’s Equipment
Alberto Fasciani, Animo, Ariat, Barbour, Buttero, Cavalleria Toscana, De Niro Boot,
Dubarry,
Equiline,
Free
Jump
System,
GPA,
Horseware,
KEP
Italia,
Kingsland, Mascheroni, Parlanti Roma, Patagonia, Pikeur, Roeckl, RSL, Samshield,
Schwenkel,
Sarm
Hippique,
Sergio
Grasso,
Schockemöhle,
Trust,
Veredus
Horse’s Equipment
Animo, Antares, Back on Track, Casco, Charles Owen, Christ, CWD Sellier,
Delgrange,
Dobert,
Dry
Fit,
Equestro,
Equiline,
Equipe,
Equitex,
Erreplus,
Eskadron, Fleck, Free Jump System, GPA, Heiniger, Horseware, HS Sprenger,
KEP Italia, Kieffer, Kingsland, Lamicell, Luc Childeric, Ogilvy Pad, Pariani,
Parlanti
Roma,
Passier,
Pessoa,
Prestige,
Professional
Choice,
Shires,
Stübben,
Trust,
Uvex,
Veredus,
Waldhausen,
Wintec,
Woof
Wear,
Zilco
Looking ahead
So, what is planned business wise, for the ‘little shop that became a mall’? “We will go on
giving the best of ourselves, as we have done so far, to our customers,” Pietro says. “We are
always looking to provide the best quality and the best service to our customers; respecting
our tradition and history, of course, and my father Carlo’s exception drive and vision.” Given
Carlo’s seemingly unstoppable enthusiasm and family loyalty, one can only see further great
things for the long-established Italian firm for whom family comes first.
Carter K., Horse International No 5 - Industry Update, May 2013
A carriage driving legend
The company’s modern success in the 20th and 21st century is undoubtedly down to leading
carriage driver, Carlo Mascheroni, grandson of the original founder Carlo, and son of Ugo.
Carlo, who is now a sprightly 73 years old, competes internationally in horse-driving trials in
the single, pairs and also four-in-hand disciplines.
Carlo is a widely-respected competitor; he is nine-time Italian champion in driving, winning
his first international driving competition in Rome at the Passo Corese CSIO in 1982. In fourin-hand driving, he has represented Italy at the World Equestrian Games in Den Haag, the
Netherlands (1994); at Pratoni del Vivaro, Rome, in 1998; at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain in
2002, and also at Aachen, Germany in 2006.
Still based in Giussano, Carlo is a keen collector of antique carriages and leather harnesses,
and an active supporter and sponsor of carriage driving events; it is clear this discipline is
a true vocation and passion for him. It was Carlo and his family that took the Mascheroni
brand into the 21st century, launching a large-scale saddlery, sportswear and ‘fashion concept
store’ that now famously welcomes a select audience. But how did the company grow from
a humble harness manufacturer to a large-scale retailer with an expanding online presence?
Carter K., Horse International No 5 - Industry Update, May 2013
World Equestrian Games, Aachen (Germany), 2006
Corriere della Sera - 2014, April, 13
Harness making in the 19th century
When Mascheroni launched its saddlery in the late 19th century, what was it like to service
the equestrian industry in this popular region of Italy? Horse owners kept horses for various
reasons at this time, for example, pleasure riding, racing and breeding, and saddlers were
regarded as real artisans, usually beginning their training in their early teens.
Saddlery thread tended to be produced in-house from beeswax-coated flax or hemp, and a
range of leather hides would have been produced and crafted – repair-work would have been
a large part of the business, in addition to creating new pieces for customers.
The main types of harness produced at the time the Mascheroni family first began their
saddlery business would have been the heavy-duty Hames harness, used for working Italian
Heavy Draft horses pulling loads, and also the breast collar-style harness, used for pulling light
carts with two to four wheels, and passengers.
Variations on these harnesses would have included those used for racing, show driving and
pleasure driving.
Harness racing became very popular in Italy in the early 20th century, with the L’Unione
Nazionale per l’Incremento delle Razze Equine (UNIRE) being established in 1932; this
organisation promoted the improvement of race horses and saddle breeds. Standardbreds
and Trotters pulling Sulky carriages were a common sight; the horses wore very lightweight
harnesses and bridles with multiple segments and thin, close-fitting straps. Little has changed
in terms of harness design in the last 100 years, with Italian leather still being the harness of
choice for many carriage driving competitors.
Carter K., Horse International No 5 - Industry Update, May 2013
Mascheroni Saddlery - Mascheroni Family - 1917, Giussano (Milano)
Company expansion
In the late 1970s, Carlo took the wise decision began to import a range of equestrian products
from Europe under the banner of Mascheroni Saddlery Giussano, selling the items from his
still-modest shop in Giussano. The goods were initially just for the carriage driving sector, but
were then expanded into the wider equestrian sporting field in the 1980s [...]
A family business
In the mid 1990s, as commercial activities expanded further, it was time for an extension of the
company’s Giussano head-quarters, and a detached outbuilding entirely devoted to mountain
sports’ equipment – for example, ski-wear, skis and accessories - was created. At the same
time, Silvana and Carlo Mascheroni’s four grown up children – daughters Silvia and Carolina,
and sons Ugo and Pietro - had begun playing a pivotal role in the company. While the two sons
were drawn to the Mascheroni sports division, the two daughters found themselves particularly
suited to the fashion side of the business; Carolina is now the company’s head fashion buyer,
while Silvia is the fashion store manager. Pietro is the current CEO of Mascheroni, while
Ugo heads up the company’s marketing and external relations. All four are co-owners of the
organisation.
Carter K., Horse International No 5 - Industry Update, May 2013
3200 mq, Luxury, Fashion, Equestrian, Sportswear, Events, Store,
Man, Woman, Accessories, Horse, Jumping, Dressage, Shop Online
Sporting excellence
The company is now represented by three large department stores that host around 450
leading brands, all sited in Giussano; the stores comprise ‘Mascheroni Sport’, a one-stop-shop
for every kind of mountain sport, snowboarding items and ski apparel; ‘Mascheroni Fashion
Café’, the fashion clothing store hosting both ready-to-wear and designer clothing brands
(including an own-branded line); and of course the ‘Mascheroni Saddlery’, selling everything
required for horse and rider, including leading fashion lines such as Cavalleria Toscana, Animo,
Parlanti, CWD, Kep Italia, Equiline, Prestige and Fasciani, and a range of horse-care products
and tack [...]
Carter K., Horse International No 5 - Industry Update, May 2013
Growing and diversifying
One wonders, what is the secret to Mascheroni’s success? It is seemingly the ability to look
ahead to new trends and selling tools, while keeping one eye firmly on the brand’s strong
equestrian heritage. For example, the team continues to respect its saddlery production roots
by producing a range of harness and saddlery items under the Mascheroni brand [...]
A further company development has been the launch of an equestrian and sporting e-store
at www.mascheronistore.it; this site does sell internationally, but mainly focuses on the Italian
market. “However, there are frequently international orders from France, Germany and Belgium,
and these are always growing,” Pietro explains. Fashion lines are also soon to be launched
online to internet-savvy consumers.
The Mascheroni team is also focussed on using modern communication techniques to stay in
touch with its customers, sending out a weekly or biweekly newsletter to over 50,000 people
that have ‘opted in’ to receive information. According to marketing specialist Ugo Mascheroni,
social media is an important tool for the organisation. “We have a robust Facebook page with
over 20,000 followers, and also utilise TV advertising on Sky channels, to maintain visibility,”
he says proudly.
Carter K., Horse International No 5 - Industry Update, May 2013
We are Social
@mascheronistore
Mascheroni Selleria Giussano
Mascheroni Giussano
@Mascheroni1898
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3 STORES in GIUSSANO (MILANO) Italy
via Piola 15 - 20833 Giussano MB - Ph. +39 0362850178
moda@mascheronistore.it · selleria@mascheronistore.it · sport@mascheronistore.it
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MASCHERONI è Moda, Selleria, Sport a GIUSSANO (MILANO) dal 1898
via Piola 15 - 20833 Giussano MB - Italy - Ph. +39 0362850178 - www.mascheronistore.it