http://www.theglobea...rticle29690167/
Weston family bringing Italy’s Eataly to Canada, joining upscale food trend
Eataly, the international Italian food emporium that blurs the line between supermarket and restaurant, will open its first Canadian store in Toronto next year in partnership with the Weston family.
By opening in Toronto, Eataly hopes to build on the phenomenal success of its 50,000-square-foot store in lower Manhattan, which opened in 2010, attracted lineups for weeks to get into the store and generates more than $85-million (U.S.) a year in sales. Since then, Eataly has opened a store in Chicago and will open outlets in Boston and Los Angeles. A second Manhattan store, in the Freedom Tower of the World Trade Center, is also coming.
Eataly also has dozens of stores in countries such as Japan, Brazil, Dubai, Turkey and throughout Italy, where the first Eataly opened in Turin in 2007. Before launching Eataly, Mr. Farinetti, 62, was the driving force behind the UniEuro electronics chain, which he sold in 2003 for about €500-million ($720-million Canadian) after opening 150 stores in Italy.
Hmmm, that sounds pretty successful if you have to line up for weeks to get into the place.