As a force within the industry, The Arcturus Group – with its impressive suite of brands from Sambonet to Rosenthal to Raynaud – is one to be reckoned with. The group’s chief marketing officer Matteo Blandi speaks to Tableware International’s editor Mairead Wilmot about Arcturus’s formidable approach to tabletop – starting with Rosenthal’s exciting leap into hospitality, set to be unveiled at Ambiente…
Matteo, thanks for taking some time to speak with us. You are responsible for marketing across all of Arcturus’s brands – Rosenthal, Sambonet, Paderno, Arthur Krupp, Thomas, Hutschenreuther, Ercuis, Raynaud – what are your thoughts on the overall state of the tabletop industry as we head into 2025? The tableware industry is going through a moment of great transformation in which we must deal with important cultural changes: from the evolution of consumption style towards porcelain products to the constant change in the retail scene. We are facing the growth in the digital world in this sector and interesting opportunities for brands such as ours, linked to increasing requests both in contract and hospitality business.
“2025 will be a year of big projects and novelties”
You obviously work across your portfolio with each marketing team, so what can we expect to see coming from your brands in 2025? 2025 will be a year of big projects and novelties, starting with HoReCa for Rosenthal at Ambiente; we will also celebrate throughout the year – with a focus on a century of Paderno at Host Milano in October – and we will introduce the second collection developed by Rosenthal as part of the license project with Swarovski.
Sambonet recently embarked on a new communication campaign to mark 100 years since the birth of designer Roberto Sambonet. How was the company’s “The Best For Your Guest” campaign received by the consumer? The kick-off of Sambonet 100 cutlery collection – a tribute to Sambonet’s design and to the personality of the man who introduced modernity and vision to the company – was a great success in terms of both communication and marketing. The product and its storytelling represented a perfect link to give substance to the new brand image, which aims to bring attention back to the culture of the product, speaking of Italian genius, excellence and above all care for the consumer. The new payoff is “The Best For Your Guest” because hospitality and style are in our DNA and we want them into everyone’s homes.
What more can we expect from the Sambonet brand in 2025? We will continue the expansion phase in a business area that is giving us much satisfaction: the buffet. With the expansion of the Radici Buffet System, both in terms of extension and introduction of new natural materials, we will continue to give substance to this segment, which is increasingly strategic for the brand. In terms of communication, we will continue to support the brand, keeping the digital world as the first moment with our consumers.
“Rosenthal is a brand with an important heritage and a very strong brand awareness, we are talking about an iconic brand within the porcelain industry”
The same question applies to Rosenthal – what direction is Arcturus taking the brand in? What is Rosenthal’s raison d’être?Rosenthal is a brand with an important heritage and a very strong brand awareness, we are talking about an iconic brand within the porcelain industry. A unique element is the brand’s ability to bring this expertise both into the tableware world, through plate collections unique in style and design, and in home décor for the hospitality world with its iconic vases. 2025 will see Rosenthal significantly expanding in the HoReCa business with the introduction of a collection completely developed for the hospitality world that will cover the area of dinnerware, table accessories and glassware. At the same time, we will continue working on our iconic collections, like TAC and Francis Carreau. Lastly, we will give new input to the design vases’ world that represent our absolute excellence.
Read the rest of the interview HERE
