HISTORY
Antonio Bardelli
Antonio Bardelli was born in Udine in 1914. At age 14, he opened a small haberdashery store, in Colloredo di Prato. In 1945, he moved the store to the center of Udine and in the following years his far-sighted project extended to 12 stores, including Lavoratore Deparment store and a supermarket.
In 1965 he opens branches in Gorizia, Trieste and Pordenone.
Inquisitive and innovative, with strong roots in his native land, Antonio Bardelli was a real entreprenuer and over the years expanded the group with numerous other activities: a textile workshop in Moruzzo under the brand name 'The Lime' and an industry for the production of plastic granules under the name 'Nordchem'.
In 1967, he took over the Ferramenta Broili (hardware store), located next to the Lavoratore Department store in the center of Udine,thus creating a single large department storecomplex called "Bardelli Gallery".
The Hardware business did not end with his take over, but rather was moved to Torreano di Martignacco and renamed Ferramenta Bardelli.
In 1969 in Torreano di Martignacco, he began another business: "The Torreano Refrigerators." Across his numerous enterprises, the work force reached substantial numbers, and in 1977 Antonio Bardelli started a construction company, the Ital Trybo, which built the Pistocchia village houses, homes sold to his employees at favourable conditions.
In 1984 he opened the "Lavoratore Fiera supermarket" in Torreano di Martignacco, with a sales area of 3,500 square meters, and this became the original core of what today is the Città Fiera shopping and leisure center.
Brico Fiera was born in 1986, as an offshoot of the hardware company, and in subsequent years was joined by, Idreno Mattiussi - electronics, a sporting goods store and a bookstore.
In 1992, in the midst of the economic crisis, Antonio Maria Bardelli, the son of Antonio Bardelli, who participated for several years in developing the groups business, gave life to Città Fiera Shopping and Leisure center, while his sister, Elsa, took over the management of the Bardelli Gallery in downtown Udine.
Antoniomaria Bardelli
That same year, Antonio Maria Bardelli, who had worked for many years in a variety of roles in the family business, established Finanziaria Bardelli Spa (today B.Holding Spa) which is currently responsible for all the group companies across various areas such as management and promotion of the shopping center, wholesale hardware and steel products, retail DIY products, sporting goods, office products, restaurants, a cineplex and a garden center.
Around the same time, Antonio Maria Bardelli met Marco Di Giusto, currently C.E.O of Cigierre spa - company leader in multi-ethnic restaurant franchise, and after taking the opportunity to study North American models, they decide to create the first Italian multiple brand restaurant group. As a result, in 1995, Cigierre - General Food Company, began to create, test and launch their brands in the Città Fiera Shopping and Leisure center. They now operate throughout Italy and in Austria with over 25 locations and 95 in franchising. In subsequent years, they developed many other business activities within the entertainment industry. Among these was the opening of the first multiplex cinema in the region, Cine Città Fiera, which consists of 11 theaters and today welcomes more than 400,000 customers per annum.
In the year 2001, the center was expanded with the first of several new galleries, including the Pyramid, a modern metallic office and services building covered with transparent panels six storeys high, and featuring an open glass elevator. The Pyramid today comprises 20 business offices, a large conference hall, medical centre, a small business hub and the Bardelli Group offices.
In 2007 and 2010 additional galleries were builti and the center expanded to over 200 stops and restaurants, making Città Fiera, today, the largest shopping and leisure center in the region.