Harking from Lake Como, the Bianchi family behind Arighi Bianchi began their journey way back in 1854. Carrying that heritage forward, this 5th generation business is headed up by a thriving family with strong bonds all round.
Managing Director Sarah, Director Nick and Head of Comms Lucy, all share tales of a business proud of their legacy. The luxury home furniture & decor brand continues to excel on firm foundations, and we hear how those foundations of trust with customers, togetherness in tough times & encouragement without pressure were built.
This episode covers:
- The extraordinary story behind Arighi Bianchi’s 168 year legacy
- Sarah taking the reins as Managing Director during the pandemic
- The pride in their legacy and inherent trust between them and customers
- How each family member found their own natural route into the business
Episode Highlights
“Family history is so important to what we stand for as a business. It’s a pillar, and we celebrate the history, the heritage.” – 4:00 – Nick Bianchi
“We all live very close to each other and socialise. So we do try now, if we are out, to leave work behind as much as we can. But then you might bump into a friend or somebody who says, ‘Oh, I’ve got my sofa on order. When’s it arriving? Can you give me a call tomorrow?’ Or ‘My sofa is late? Why is it late?’. I suppose because we’re also local to the business, it’s sort of part and parcel of life.” – 8:00 – Sarah Bianchi
“At the time it was just a bit of a temporary measure through furlough and whatnot. I’m still here two years later! My job has evolved from just helping out to now being head of comms really.” – 22:05 – Lucy Mather
“When I took over, it was literally as the shop reopened, and the world was just mad. Nobody could understand how busy the shop would be. In a way, my first 6-9 months was literally taken up with trying to source products” – 27:35 – Sarah Bianchi
“We’ve got colleagues who’ve got relatives who worked during COVID in the NHS, and there’s three big hospitals near us. They were desperate to create these sanctuary rooms for nurses and key staff. We created sanctuary rooms for them, and that was about giving back and that’s something we’re really proud of, because they were the heroes during the lockdown.” – 42:45 – Nick Bianchi
“Sarah and I see ourselves – and John & Rick, our cousins I’m sure – see ourselves as the custodians to the next generation as well. So hopefully, you know, it will be a sixth, seventh, maybe even the rarefied air of 26 generations.” – 56:55 – Nick Bianchi
“Just because we’ve done things a certain way, doesn’t mean you’ve always got to keep on doing it a certain way. Keep challenging the reasons why you’re doing things.” – 1:05:20 – Sarah Bianchi