Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
May 9, 2025

Italian executive Paolo De Cesare has been appointed president of Grandi Stazioni Retail (GSR), the company that manages the retail space for over 700 stores in 14 railway stations in Italy’s main cities, like Rome, Milan, Turin, Florence, Naples, Venice etc. GSR’s station stores are active in the food, cosmetics, fashion, and electronics sectors, as well as in services such as pharmacies, car rental, and beauty salons. “Overall, it is one of the largest and most successful shopping destinations in Italy,” De Cesare told FashionNetwork.com. “At the heart of the company’s success is a footfall of 750 million passengers a year, every retailer's dream,” he added.

“Moving to [GSR] is a natural evolution after the 12 years I spent at Printemps, and given my current position on the board of directors of Attica, the leading department store group in Greece,” said De Cesare. “My passion is interacting with customers and brands to create exciting and unique experiences. Milan’s main station has staged fantastic events, for example with Moncler, and even a runway show with Zegna. Countless opportunities to interact with customers and brands!” said De Cesare announcing his appointment.

 De Cesare has a 30-year experience in the luxury and retail sectors. Before joining Attica, he was CEO of British multibrand e-tailer Matchesfashion for a transitional period, between September 2021 and July 2022, and prior to that he was CEO of Printemps for 12 years. Between 2007 and 2020, De Cesare led the French department store group through a major transformation, with store and assortment upgrades and a repositioning as a luxury shopping destination.

De Cesare also spent 24 years at Procter & Gamble, where he held a number of senior positions, including managing director and president of the cosmetics division in Japan, and global president of skincare and fine fragrances. He has worked in Italy, Belgium, the UK, Japan, the US and Switzerland.

 From 2016 to 2020, in addition to his executive roles, De Cesare was the president of IGDS, the largest international association of department store operators.