Mondadori has announced the launch of “BOX FOR YOU”, a line of packaged gift sets featuring ideas for leisure for fans of taste, wellbeing, arts & culture, nature and passion.

“With this initiative Mondadori enters the market for gift box sets that is evolving very rapidly also in Italy, and showing a significant rate of growth,” explained Renato Rodenghi, chairman and managing director of Mondadori Direct. “BOX FOR YOU is also a further demonstration of the capacity of the Group to diversify its offer to meet the needs of new targets with a business that covers the entire value chain of the product, from the design, development and production of content, to the production and distribution of the product”, Rodenghi concluded.

“BOX FOR YOU”, which is on sale at the 600 outlets of the Group’s network (Librerie Mondadori, Edicolè, Mondadori Multicenter, Librerie Mondadori Junior, Librerie Gulliver and the Mondolibri shps) and on the web site Bol.it, features a wide choice of structures across the country, so that customers can decide the destination they prefer.
The box contains an extensive catalogue of offers, with photos, written descriptions and practical information, that can also be accessed online (www.boxforyou.it), and a thematic book (taste, wellbeing, culture, nature and passion) that brings together exclusively for “BOX FOR YOU” “101 ideas” for the best way to spend your leisure time. Inside there is also a pre-paid voucher and a book of discount coupons and benefits for Mondadori products and services.

The series is made up of 9 different box sets (for 1 or 2 people, with or without an overnight stay):

• “Delizie del palato”, for those who love to organise trips out of doors in the search for the tastes of Italy;

• “Viaggiare con gusto”, a weekend of wine and food;

• “È ora del relax!”, when you want to pamper yourself after the stresses and strains of the week;

• “I percorsi del benessere”, to relax both body and mind at some of Italy’s most fascinating locations;

• “Il fascino della cultura” and “Weekend culturale” to visit the main cities of art;

• “Oasi di pace” and “A contatto con la natura”, for those who want to escape the traffic and enjoy the greenery of the countryside and some fresh air;

• “Evasione romantica”, the ideal romantic getaway.

“BOX FOR YOU” has a special “Booking Centre” for clients who choose, from the catalogue or online at www.boxforyou.it, a trip with an overnight stay, by telephoning 199.11.99.88 or sending an email to prenota@boxforyou.it, to make a request. If the trip selected is not available, an alternative will be suggested, along with all the necessary information. Those who select a day-trip, can contact the structure selected directly.

At the XXIV International Book Fair in Turin, Bol.it will launch DonaBol – Books donated by the web, a new charitable initiative that will involve the donation by Bol.it of a library to four Italian schools. The aim is to provide the schools with the texts that have had the biggest impact on the lives of readers and net users by sharing their favourite titles with friends, passing on emotions, tastes and opinions that are, in fact, exchanged and give users the sense of being a part of a community and being involved in an important initiative.

Through DonaBol, and along with those taking part, Bol.it will bring a passion for books and reading to others who can enjoy the positive effects of the actions of others. To support the schools and to give everyone the opportunity of helping kids and students become familiar with the books they deem fundamental.

The schools that will benefit from the initiative – among the most need in Milan, Turin, Naples and Palermo – have been selected thanks to the collaboration of the CGM cooperative, Italy’s largest network of social enterprises, operating across the country since 1987, which has more than 10,000 operating units and a staff of 45,000 in the various regions.

To take part in DonaBol all you need to do is visit the Bol.it stand at the Turin Book Fair (from 12 to 16 May 2011, pavilion 2, stand H126-J125) and sign up, or go to the web site www.bol.it where, from 12 May, there will be a dedicated page for Donabol, and indicate the five titles that you consider the most important in your life. When you have completed your list, the user will be invited to indicate the initiative to as many people as possible, sharing the titles on Facebook and Twitter and inviting their friends to take part. Everyone is invited to make their selection of books for DonaBol: the more contributions, the more books will be donated and the more the dream of donating a library to the four schools will become a reality.

The initiative will be launched on 12 May, with the opening of the Turin Book Fair, and will go on until the end of the month. When the collection of titles has been completed, the most selected titles will join those to be donated to the schools and Bol.it will support the head teachers of the selected schools, who will evaluate their suitability with the schools’ syllabus and needs.

Mondadori today launches “Cook&Books”, the first initiative of its kind in the heart of Milan dedicated to cooking enthusiasts.
The third floor of the Mondadori Multicenter in Piazza Duomo has been refurbished and now also features a new in-store shop focused on the pleasures of the table. With books, accessories and an authentic cookery school.

THE COURSES
At the heart of the new plan by the Mondadori Multicenter the “Cook&Books Academy” is a cookery school, created from the experience of Sale&Pepe, Cucina Moderna and Cucina no problem which will open tomorrow, Tuesday 29 March. With a real fully-equipped kitchen, the Academy will offer courses for adults as well as special courses that will be a mix of fun and teaching, to introduce children to the importance of diet, all certified by the professional staff of the Associazione Insegnanti di Cucina Italiana or AICI (the Italian cookery teachers association).
The lessons (40 sessions, to be held from March to June, and continuing from September to December) will allow all participants to learn how to select ingredients and to practise their skills on a range of courses not only on Italian, regional and international cooking but also children’s diets: an unrepeatable opportunity to discover the falvours of good cooking and the perfect preparation of dishes.
The range of thematic courses includes: “simple & chic menus” (31 March); “a passion for chocolate” (5 April); “an Easter menu” (7 April); “a dinner party in 40 minutes” (5 May); “Neapolitan pastries” (24 May); “well-dressed ice cream” (7 June) and “summer meats” (16 June).
A complete calendar of lessons offered by Sale&Pepe, Cucina Moderna and Cucina no problem and details about enrolments can be found on the web site: www.corso-di-cucina.it.

THE KITCHEN
The “Cook&Books” kitchen, where the courses will take place, is an innovative and confortable space that will allow aspiring cooks to enjoy experiencing the world of taste in a creative and functional context, thanks to partnerships with Valcucine, Neff, Irinox, Kenwood, Tescoma, Fissler, Pensofal and Emile Henry.

BOOKS, ACCESSORIES AND EVENTS
The new third floor of the Mondadori Multicenter has been organised to facilitate the alternation of displays of accessories and books, making it easier for customers to choose products and discover a natural kitchen, the art of food conservation, as well as the secrets and tricks of celebrated chefs, wine and drinks.
The display of books on the culture of Italian and international cooking is organised thematically – teas and coffee, desserts, savouries, sushi, eating for health and many more – and also features a vast selection of Italian and foreign publications and those of great chefs. Extensive space is also dedicated to Gourmet guides and guides to wine and food, such as those from the Italian regions, from Piedmont to Sicily, and the discovery of traditional flavours.
The extensive bookshop will alternate with single-brand spaces featuring design products and accessories for the preparation and cooking of dishes, selected from some of the leading manufacturers in the market. In addition to traditional utensils, “Cook&Books” offers ranges of everyday objects in avant-garde materials and small, practical and intuitive electrical appliances.
The entire “Cook&Books” plan is completed by the Mondadori Multicenter events space, which, thanks to its extensive balcony, enjoys a fantastic view of Piazza Duomo and where a series of events will be organised for cooking enthusiasts with food and wine demonstrations and the opportunity to meet and discuss issues related to eating and entertaining.

The Mondadori Multicenter in Piazza Duomo, opened in 2007, is the biggest space dedicated to culture and leisure in the centre of Milan. With a floor space of some 4,000 square metres, the store offers a wide range of books and DVDs, a large newsstand and an exclusive range of stationery, gadgets and gift ideas. The second floor is given over to modern digital technologies, computers and telephone-related products. All of which makes the Mondadori Multicenter a fantastic place to meet, where people can immerse themselves in a world of culture in a stimulating atmosphere that is also characterised by a rich array new products.

The “Cook&Books Academy” is the cookery school of the monthlies Sale&Pepe, Cucina Moderna and Cucina no problem, edited by Laura Maragliano. Sale&Pepe, the leading upscale cookery monthly, brings to the table with every issue a range of exclusive and refined suggestions, with recipes from both Italian and international gastronomic traditions.
Cucina Moderna, Italy’s best selling title in the sector, is an indispensible friend for women who love to cook, thanks to an offer that ranges from menus for special occasions to quick and nutritious everyday meals.
Cucina no problem is an innovative monthly dedicated to young couples, singles and all those who don’t want to renounce the pleasures of cooking, even when time is short and experience limited.

Bol.it, the digital bookstore that brings together the best of Italian and international publishing, and Zelanda, the company that is responsible for the web management of the “Zelig” and “Smemoranda” brands, have joined forces for a new space dedicated to reading.

The agreement will lead to the creation, on the Bol.it site, of a digital space to share readings, a love for words and authors and a passion for the capacity to tell and read stories. The space will allow users to buy books, music, films, magazines (both print and digital) and provide an opportunity to talk about, debate and comment on them, bringing together videos, blogs, lists and communication approaches inspired by social networks where Bol.it users will find the mechanisms for relationships built around reading of which they are an intrinsic part.

Bol.it will become a new place of meeting and will create a more lively and original way of enjoying all things cultural; bringing the process of buying, recommending, criticising and loving a book inside a social network setting, with people united by a shared enthusiasm. The users of Bol.it will be able to transform their cultural pursuits by using everything they find on the site, such as profiles for the 350,000 titles in the catalogue, book-trailers, interviews, cultural events in streaming, personalised lists and favourite quotations. All of which animated and enlivened by the kind of content – under the Zelanda brand – that represents the best of Italian comedy and entertainment.

This partnership will make it possible to reach out to a young, curious and dynamic audience that uses the internet extensively but is perhaps less used to reading. And at the same time it will provide a pleasant, reliable and professional meeting place for an older audience, perhaps less familiar with the digital world, but strongly motivated by a love of books.

“The aim is absolutely clear,” claimed Vittorio Veltroni, general manager of Mondadori Digital, “just as the digitalisation of music has led to an improvement in its distribution and a substantial increase in consumption, so the digitalisation of books (in its physical form and marketing) provides an opportunity to bring generations together and to increase the consumption of culture, stories, words, inspiration and passion.”

“The most amazing thing, and the great gamble, about the web is the pleasure of being part of it and knowing it not “in place of” the printed word, but “in addition to” it. To communicate, get more detailed information and exchange views on the internet can lead to a considerable improvement of our relationship with books. Our efforts are focused and will continue to focus on valorising the printed book without denying, on the contrary. Encouraging the progress that the web has brought with all of its applications, including commercial ones,” declared Gino & Michele, the creators and co-directors of “Smemoranda” and, for more than 10 years the authors of “Zelig”. “We have accepted the proposal from Vittorio Veltroni to make our contribution with Zelanda to the new Bol.it project with a mixture of curiosity and expectation. The curiosity of seeing whether our skills and, sometimes, intuitions will be able to make the leap into a world that is generationally far from us as the new technology generation is. And the expectation that we can make a contribution, however small, to expanding culture and attracting and drawing in those who are currently, for whatever reason, far away from the world of books and reading.”

On Bol.it it is possible to choose from over 90,000 ebooks from Italian and international publishers. The online bookstore offers users the widest selection currently available in our market with more than 5,000 Italian titles made available by the leading publishing companies and distribution platforms in the country. In addition, the catalogue – which features both classics and bestsellers, as well as many new titles published simultaneously with the printed versions – also includes some 85,000 ebooks in English, ranging from great novels to non fiction, children’s books and scientific and professional titles.

To mark the launch of the new ebook catalogue, on Bol.it it is also possible to download for free, in cooperation with Mondadori, the digital version of Il fu Mattia Pascal by Luigi Pirandello.

All of the digital books on the Bol.it store are available in the e-pub or pdf formats and can be used on the most common commercially available tablets and e-readers. A wide selection of the titles in the Italian ebook catalogue is also DRM-free and social DRM, and can therefore also be read on the iPad.

The Bol.it ebook offer operates alongside the already vast catalogue of the internet store, which features a total of 2.5 million products: from ‘traditional’ books, in Italian and English and professional titles, to a large range of multimedia products, including ebook readers, DVD and Blu-Ray films, music, games and gift ideas.

The top ten best selling ebook titles in Italian on Bol.it this week were:

1. Nella testa di Steve Jobs by Leander Kahney (Sperling & Kupfer);

2. La caduta dei giganti by Ken Follett (Mondadori);

3. Inchiesta sul cristianesimo by Corrado Augias and Remo Cacitti (Mondadori);

4. La solitudine dei numeri primi by Paolo Giordano (Mondadori);

5. L’intermittenza by Andrea Camilleri (Mondadori);

6. Non avevo capito niente by Diego De Silva (Einaudi);

7. Il broker by John Grisham (Mondadori);

8. Il bizzarro museo degli orrori by Dan Rhodes (Newton Compton Editori);

9. La strada by Cormac McCarthy (Einaudi);

10. Uomini che odiano le donne by Stieg Larsson (Marsilio).

Mondadori Retail has opened in Rome, in the heart of the city, a new sales outlet of the Librerie Mondadori chain.

The store, located in the central Piazza della Radio, close to Via Marconi, has a sales area of 800 square metres, where visitors will find an offer of more than 40,000 book titles.

This new Mondadori bookstore will also have an extensive area dedicated to children and younger readers with toys, games and a catalogue of 8,000 titles especially for them.

Alongside the offer of books will be a range of multimedia products with a DVD and Blue-Ray section, while the area called Emporio provides an extensive range of stationery, gifts and gadgets.

The new Piazza della Radio bookstore strengthens the Mondadori Retail network in Italy’s capital city, adding to the existing stores in the Via Appia Nuova and Piazza Cola di Rienzo, and outlets in the Parco Leonardo, La Romanina and Roma Est shopping malls.

PROFILE

Address: Piazza della Radio, 1 – Rome

Opening hours:

From Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 8 pm (On Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm)

Area: 800 square metres

Product line:

• Books: 40,000
• Children’s books: 8,000
• DVD and Blu-Ray: 5,000
• Emporio: stationery, gifts and gadgets

Customer services:

• MONDADONO Gift Vouchers
• The new loyalty card: MONDADORI CARD

Following appropriate authorisations from the Italian competition body, Mondadori Retail S.p.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., today finalised the definitive agreement for the acquisition of the entire share capital of Messaggerie Musicali S.p.A.

The operation was completed in line with the preliminary agreement signed on 22 November and previously announced to the market. The value of the transaction is €24 million.

The acquisition of Messaggerie Musicali will allow Mondadori to add to its existing network the two megastores – which will be managed directly by Mondadori – in Via del Corso in Rome and Corso Vittorio Emanuele/Galleria del Corso in Milan, further developing its position in two cities of particular relevance and expanding its assortment of books and multimedia products.

In addition, Milan will also see the opening in the spring of 2007 of a new megastore – the Duomo Center – in Piazza del Duomo, in a prestigious location of architectural value.

The inclusion in the Mondadori chain of outlets of this new sales outlet and the store in Corso Vittorio Emanuele/Galleria del Corso will result in a significant increase in the sales space dedicated to books and multimedia products, which, including the existing Multicenter in Via Berchet, in the centre of Milan alone will rise from 2,500 to over 10,000 square metres.

Overall the network of retail outlets operated by Mondadori in Milan and Rome will amount to a floor space of over 25,000 square metres.

In the context of the Group’s development plan in the retail sector and the optimisation of its presence in the Milan area, Mondadori Retail has also reached an agreement for the sale, to Corso Vittorio Emanuele 2428 Retail S.r.l., at a price of €14.25 million, of the business activity in the retail space currently occupied by the Libreria Mondadori bookstore in Largo Corsia dei Servi in Milan.

The activities of the bookstore will move to the nearby Messaggerie Musicali store in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and will provide customers with an expanded offer along with a marked continuation of service.