Luca Barra: two new stores in Sicily and Naples

Two new stores in one week for Luca Barra Gioielli: the jewellery brand based in Salerno, southern Italy, opened a Phygital Store on Via dell’Epomeo in Naples on 3 October 2026, followed by a dedicated brand store in the Katanè shopping centre in Gravina di Catania, Sicily, on 10 October. Announced on the brand’s LinkedIn page, the openings support the expansion of a network comprising independent stockists and branded stores, with a franchise model launched in 2019.

Two locations, two retail settings

The openings bring the steel jewellery brand to two different retail environments. In Gravina di Catania, the new dedicated store is located inside the Katanè shopping centre. In Naples, the brand has chosen Via dell’Epomeo, a city shopping street.

This distinction matters to those following developments in the franchise sector: the brand is not simply replicating a single type of location. The two openings demonstrate its presence in both shopping centres and shopping streets, both of which are options within the property selection process offered to prospective franchisees.

The brand describes its Naples outlet as a Phygital Store. This is the label used to present the opening, but the name alone does not establish which technologies or services the store offers. What is clear is the addition of a new physical location in Naples, just days apart from the opening in Sicily.

Network size: stockists and dedicated stores

On its official website, Luca Barra reports more than 1,500 points of sale in Italy and abroad. This figure includes both stockists and branded stores, so it should not be read as the total number of dedicated stores or franchise outlets.

The brand’s store finder lists around forty dedicated stores. Distinguishing between these two figures helps clarify its distribution structure: sales through other retailers sit alongside a network of stores devoted to the brand.

Franchising was introduced in 2019 alongside the authorised retailer network and shop-in-shop spaces. The new openings therefore form part of a system using several distribution channels. For a prospective franchisee, distinguishing between the product’s overall retail presence and the reach of dedicated brand stores is useful when assessing the brand’s local position, without confusing market coverage with the number of franchised businesses.

A model with no joining fee or royalties

The central feature of the franchise offer is the absence of a joining fee or turnover-based royalties. Instead, the commercial relationship described by the brand centres on product supply, with preferential purchasing terms for franchisees providing the basis for the retailer’s margin.

This approach shifts the focus from the percentage payable to the franchise network to the commercial terms for stock. Anyone considering joining should therefore examine how product purchasing works and how it relates to store revenue and operating costs.

The absence of fees and royalties does not, in itself, mean that opening a store requires no investment. The offer includes the possibility of financing the opening through leasing or operating rental arrangements, under agreements with specialist providers. These options should be assessed alongside the financial plan, checking the terms applicable to the individual project rather than treating them as a substitute for evaluating costs.

From site selection to operational support

The franchise process includes support from the franchisor in choosing a location, whether in a town or city centre, on a shopping street or in a shopping centre. Support also covers pre-opening training, visual merchandising, marketing campaigns and ongoing sales monitoring.

The Naples and Gravina di Catania openings illustrate two of the property options included in the offer. For prospective franchisees, it remains important to understand how the stated support will translate into practice in their own store, from initial preparation and product displays to interpreting sales performance.

Practical guidance: before joining, bring supply terms, premises costs and financing arrangements together in a single financial plan. The absence of fees and royalties is one factor in the assessment, not a sufficient measure of a store’s financial viability.