About Us

About Us

The story of a record

The "Golden Age" of the post-war economic boom in Italy came to an end in the 1970s with the transition to the current reality of cultural, productive and financial globalisation. In 1972, in a complex period on the eve of the first major oil crisis, Maurizio Gabbai, showing an ability to interpret the long view of market trends and needs, decided to establish Forma Italiana as a contact office for foreign buyers looking for new opportunities in Italy.

The first turning point for the company occurred shortly thereafter, when Forma Italiana became the buying office in Italy for Ikea which, a few years later, acquired the entire branch of the company. This event heralded Forma Italiana's second major change in direction, turning its business towards trading in the sector of perfumery and personal care products.
The entrepreneurial spirit and enormous commercial talent of Maurizio was passed from father to son: the entry into the company of Claudio Gabbai and, 2 years later, of Davide Reis brought renewed vigour to the core business of the company. This was confirmed when Claudio, as a result of his managerial skills and thorough knowledge of the perfumery and cosmetics sector, was chosen by the French chain Marionnaud to develop the strategy for entering the Italian market, which was completed by an impressive investment of over €90 million and the acquisition of over 150 perfumeries.

There can be no growth without a constant strategy of openness and inclusion, and Forma Italiana also knows how to apply these principles to its own structure.
The entry of new shareholders selected from among its most talented managers brought innovation in processes and vision, as well as a further boost to growth.
New projects were initiated, such as the opening of three drugstores (including the Cosmix store which, at 1000 square metres, stands out as the largest retail perfumery in Milan), subsequently all sold to Marionnaud in the perfumery acquisition campaign led by Claudio Gabbai.

From the 2000s on, Forma Italiana has chosen to focus its activities on international trading, where it excels in reliability, speed of action and professionalism, so much so that in a short time it has become one of the benchmark businesses, reaching 13th position out of 445 companies in the sector.

Forma Italiana Today 

Trading means having the finger on the pulse of consumer buying habits, but also getting a thorough knowledge of the world and the problems of perfumeries and retailers in general.
We need to understand what consumers want, which products to sell, what new goods will be of interest to customers and, in some cases, predict future needs. It is equally important to know the multiple needs of retailers depending on their geographical location, size and characteristics. Without forgetting the professionalism, solidity and consistency necessary to gain authority with the large international groups that own the major brands.
Forma Italiana's business model is based on two founding principles: cooperation and loyalty in relations with suppliers and speed of action and pursuit of satisfaction in relations with customers.
This has resulted in it gaining an important position in its sector, the outcome of consolidated relationships in foreign markets, an international platform with global distribution, and speed of penetrating and controlling the market and its growth.

Forma Italiana currently operates in the wholesale and retail distribution sector with 4 warehouses of 12,500 square meters, 10,000 SKUs and 20 million items of stock available of perfumery, cosmetics, personal care and home care products.
In addition to trading, Forma Italiana offers high-end services in the field of logistics, administrative and functional assistance.

People

People are the power behind every company

Owners and Directors

Finance Director

Vittorio Abba

Toiletries & Mass Market Director

Antonio Biffi

Perfumery Director

Jacky Blanga

Managing Director

Davide Reis

President CEO

Claudio Gabbai
 
Our Manager

E-Commerce

Lara
Lorenzini

Skincare & Make-up

Alessandro
Carrara

IT

Silvio
Anceschi

Controller

Dino
Foa

Human Resources

Cinzia
Laugelli

Legal Advisor

Fabio
Mazza

Logistic

Gianluca
Cristaudo

FMCG Sales Italy

Sergio
Gavazzi

Export Sales

Joel
Tcherniack