Reggio Emilia, September 3, 2026 – Another well-regarded retail store is about to close its doors in the historic center. On September 20, the Frau store, a brand well known to the people of Reggio for footwear, will lower its shutters. The decision is not driven by controversy, but by the recognition of a change over time in consumption habits, and an acknowledgment of an economic and social reality that, day by day, has made continuing the business in the city difficult, if not unsustainable.
Explaining this with great clarity is Giovanni Bonini, owner of Parma Scarpe Srl, which holds the franchise contract for marketing Frau products and will keep the Parma store open: “The closure is a company decision. The reasons? Many are right before our eyes and can be easily inferred from a retail crisis caused by various factors.”
“Bad company and traffic weigh heavily”
Analyzing the situation frankly, Bonini lists the factors emptying traditional historic centers in favor of new models of consumption and urban use. “Outlets, shopping centers, online — the entrepreneur emphasizes — weigh decisively.” But it’s not only the competition from large-scale retail and the web; urban livability issues also weigh on the balance.
“There are also bad company, a certain ‘crowd’ of people hanging around the historic center, which make street livability a problem, especially in winter in the evening hours, around 7:30 PM, closing time, contributing to making the squares less appealing.” A combination of factors that directly affects the perception of safety and the foot traffic in shopping streets during the most delicate hours of the day.
The entrepreneurial experience does not stop
Despite the farewell to Reggio Emilia, Bonini’s entrepreneurial experience does not stop completely: “I still have the Parma store open, hopefully we will continue,” he says calmly, noting a fact that goes well beyond local boundaries.
Reggio’s case, in fact, is not an isolated exception, but a symptom of a fever affecting many medium-sized urban centers. “There is also a contagion effect not to be underestimated — he concludes —. The issues certainly do not concern only Reggio, but many other cities, where similar situations exist and certain concerns about the sustainability of commerce are shared.” Concerns that end up generating a widely felt alert not only in Reggio but throughout the country. A reflection that sounds like yet another alarm bell for the future of neighborhood commerce, suspended between street desertification, perceived safety problems, and the digital and large-scale retail challenge.
The closure of the Reggio Emilia store is not a company decision by Frau but by Parma Scarpe srl, the footwear company clarifies, and it concerns the closure of the single Reggio Emilia store.
Read more Cicli Cinzia is reborn, the legend returns in the saddle: “Folding and electric bicycle”
