Your Deluxe Shopping Experience in Venice

T Fondaco dei Tedeschi of DFS

Deluxe Shopping Experience In Venice

On 1st October 2016, DFS Group opened its first store in Europe by choosing a stunning location: the historic building of Fondaco dei Tedeschi in the heart of Venice.

This beautiful and spacious 13^th century building is located next to the famous Rialto Bridge and a short walk from Piazza San Marco and it is one of the most beautiful palaces on the Gran Canal.

Fondaco Dei Tedeschi

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi has been fully restored by Rem Koolhaas, the famous Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. Jamie Fobert, subsequently, has decorated the Fondaco. Fobert boasts a reputation for innovative and inspiring architectural design in the residential, retail and arts sectors.

DFS Group’s aim for T Fondaco dei Tedeschi is for it to become not only a place of reference for a new experience of luxury in Venice, but also a cultural destination for all Venetians and the visitors of the city.

The space is spread over 7000 square meters and it offers a range of high-end brands, especially Italian, in the fashion & accessories sectors, as well as watches, jewelry, wines & spirits, gastronomy, beauty and perfumery.

The T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS also celebrates the very best of Venetian artisanship, thanks to a meticulous selection of excellent representative producers of the territory.

Guests also have the opportunity to stop at the restaurant in the central court, where the menu includes the best dishes of Italian and Venetian cuisine.

DFS Group is convinced that luxury is not limited to objects and products, but it should equally refer to the history and heritage of a location. With this in mind, it decided to devote an entire space inside the Fondaco to exhibition stands and events, helping to enrich the cultural panorama of Venice,

Among the high ends brands, which are available in this unique shopping center, you can find:

Bottega Veneta, Bulgari, Clarins, Clinique, Diesel, Dior, D&G, Estée Lauder, Ferragamo, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Gucci, Guerlain, Hermès, Prada, Shiseido, Sisley, SK-II, Tom Ford, Urban Decay, Valentino, Versace, YSL, Ermenegildo Zegna, The Merchant Of Venice, Tiziana Terenzi, Burberry, Fendi, Versace

DFS Group wanted to offer a new kind of experience to the visitor in Venice by offering the possibility to:

Live an authentic immersion into the Made in Italy (shopping, food, culture, lifestyle)
Dialogue with multilingual staff
Access the LOYAL T benefits dedicated to loyal customers
Access to the VIP LOUNGE with dedicated staff
Get help with personal shopping and style consultancy
Choose from gifts and souvenirs selected per class and authenticity
Choose from a selection of excellent local wine and food products
Access to the event pavilion on the fourth floor of the Fondaco, dedicated to cultural events
Witness the rich cultural program, developed in collaboration with artists and institutions on art, architecture, culture, history and handicrafts
Enjoy the breathtaking view from the rooftop terrace
Stop at the restaurant in the central courtyard of the palace

DFS Group offers also a LOYAL T program, which includes many benefits that can be enjoyed in all the DFS Group stores.

The benefits include:

Access to the Prestige Lounge
Free delivery of products to the hotels
Personal shopping services
Private tours, previews, and orders of on-demand products in advance

THE SPACE: Deluxe Shopping Experience In Venice

DFS interiors

T Fondaco Dei Tedeschi is an huge building, spread on 4 floors. Originally it was the warehouse and meeting point of all German and Northern merchants who came to Venice to trade with spaces and silks.

On the ground floor, originally a bustling medieval courtyard, there are the boutiques of Gucci and Bottega Veneta – overlooking the Grand Canal – as well as a range of accessories and jewelry areas. The Food Hall and the Venetian crafts areas complete the welcome to the Fondaco.

The first floor, which is accessible from the luxurious lacquer red escalator designed by OMA, is all dedicated to fashion and accessories for women with brands such as Bulgari, Damiani, Fendi, Lanvin, Max Mara, Tiffany & Co and Valentino.

The second floor boasts the only existing multi-brand Haute Horlogerie in Venice, with models signed by Cartier, Hublot, Omega and Panerai. Opposite there is a selection of fashion and men’s accessories (Brioni, Burberry, Ferragamo, Moncler, Ermenegildo Zegna to name a few).

The third floor is the most exclusive area, focused on women’s shoes. A space without equals in Venice. The brands include Aquazurra, Caovilla, Jimmy Choo and Zanotti. On the same floor there is a department dedicated to the beauty with particular attention to skincare. Some of the brands present: Acqua di Parma, Dior, Estee Lauder, Lancome, The Merchant of Venice.

T Fondaco dei Tedeschi also has an entire floor dedicated to events and exhibitions that is open to the public. It was thought as a lively cultural site and a meeting place for residents and travelers alike. The event pavilion opens onto the terrace with the most incredible 360-degree panoramic view of the entire city. Probably the best view ever!

WHO IS DFS GROUP

DFS Group is the world leader in sales of high-end products, aimed at an international audience of travelers.

Founded in 1960 in Hong Kong, DFS Group has been an absolute pioneer in the field of tax-free shopping.

The selection of products on offer is of the highest level, and affects more than 700 brands of excellence distributed through 420 stores in four continents.

The network consists of duty free boutiques located in 17 international airports, 18 T Galleria in the heart of strategic urban centers, affiliated offices and resorts.

In 2015, more than 164 million travelers visited the DFS stores worldwide.

DFS is based in Hong Kong and has offices in Beijing, Chengdu, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Paris, Sao Paulo, Shenyang, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.

On 1^st October 2016 DFS Group opened in Venice T Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the first location of the Group in Europe.

THE EVENT PAVILION

On the fourth floor of T Fondaco Dei Tedeschi you can access the Event Pavilion, an area designed to host a variety of art and cultural event, aimed to bring together the local residents and the tourists alike.

Fabrizio Plessi is the first artist to sign the launch of the Event Pavilion in T Fondaco Dei Tedeschi, with a site-specific project entitled “Under Water”.

One of the most internationally recognized Italian artist, Plessi turned the last floor of the building into a journey through time, to discover the ancient ties that bound the Serenissima and the Byzantine Empire.

The video installation consists of 60 suspended screens reproducing images of fragments of mosaic submerged in water, one of the most famous features of the artist.

The mosaic recalls the East and sways through the movement of water, soft and almost elastic, just like art that, according to Plessi, is fluid, changeable and dreamy at the same time.

“Under Water” is the first example of DFS Group commitment to build a place where culture and commerce, secular and contemporary traditions, local and international visitors will converge and intertwine.

The installation will be freely accessible to the public from 1 October until 15 January 2017.

“Underwater” Free admission every day from 9:30 to 19:30

THE UNIVERSITY OF CA’ FOSCARI AND DFS UNITE TO TELL THE STORY OF THE FONDACO DEI TEDESCHI

From October 15 2016 you will be able to enjoy visits of the Fondaco Dei Tedeschi with cultural mediators of the University of Venice.

With DFS Group, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi is ready to unfold completely in the eyes of local and international visitors thanks to a study and research project promoted with the University Ca’ Foscari.

The initiative offers guests of the Fondaco the opportunity to discover historical and artistic insights on the building with the help of six cultural mediators, student-fellows of the university.

From Saturday, the six mediators are available to visitors on the fourth floor of the Fondaco – where there are the headquarters of the event pavilion – to explain the different souls that, over the centuries, have characterized the building overlooking the Rialto Bridge.

Historical anecdotes about the Fondaco will also be told in the form of short comments and tweets on social medias and on the web by DFS.

So what are you waiting for? Take a trip back in time and enjoy the best of the Made In Italy in one of the most amazing shopping center on earth!