An international comparison of “Made in Italy” in the fashion, furniture and food sectors: An observational research study in France, Russia and The United Kingdom

The aim of this paper is to analyze how Made in Italy products are retailed in the international markets. The research investigates the level of coherence between Italy country image and the image of the stores where Italian brands are sold abroad; the focus is about the internationalization process of Italian firms producing and distributing high value goods in the fashion, furniture, food sectors with an explicit Italian Country-of-Origin (COO). The existent literature has considered and analyzed the relationships between Brand and COO and its effect on consumers’ perceptions and behavior. However, less attention has been devoted in the understanding of the interaction between COO and point of sales. On the empirical side, using an observational methodology, the research investigates nine mono-brand and multibrand retail stores in three international markets (France, Russia and The United Kingdom). Main findings show various degrees of the coherence level between the point of sales and Italian country image. In terms of managerial implications, the authors suggest value offer proposals with a positive Country image should emphasize not only brand and COO explicit connections but also recall the Country image in the store.