Central Group, a leading retail, shopping centre, property, and hospitality conglomerate headquartered in Thailand with operations spanning Southeast Asia and Europe celebrates 15 years of successful European expansion, recording €6.3 billion in sales turnover last year — driven by bold acquisitions, landmark store transformations, and a vision that continues to grow more ambitious with time.

Tos Chirathivat, Executive Chairman and CEO of Central Group, commented: “Over the past 15 years, Central Group has built something truly exceptional in Europe — a portfolio of iconic stores, a community of world-class brands, and a team of extraordinary people. We have redefined what luxury retail can offer — a place where culture, creativity and extraordinary experiences converge. As we mark this milestone, we are bringing together the leadership, structure and partnerships to take our European business to the next level — creating lasting value and delivering sustainable growth across both Europe and Asia.”

Underpinning this momentum is a new leadership structure designed to bring the Group’s European banners closer together than ever before. Central Group announces the following appointments:

Pierluigi Cocchini, Chief Executive Officer, Europe will lead the strategic vision and operational coordination of the European network, driving cross-banner integration, financial discipline, shared KPIs, and a cohesive leadership culture while preserving each banner’s distinctive identity.

Giuseppe D’Amato, Chief Commercial Officer, Europe will define and execute the pan-European commercial strategy, covering brand portfolio management, buying and category performance, marketing alignment, and retail media development. He will serve as the key interface between the European CEO and local Buying & Marketing Directors to deliver measurable commercial impact across markets.

Chart Chirathivat, Chief Strategy Officer, Europe will lead strategic partnership development with major global brand groups, positioning Central Group’s European banners as preferred partners for launches and strategic initiatives. He will ensure a consistent, high-level dialogue between global brand leadership and the group’s European and Asian network.

André Maeder continues in his dual role as CEO of Selfridges and Group CEO of Selfridges Group — a joint venture between Central and PIF, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, in which Central holds a majority stake — driving transformation, innovation and retail media leadership across four banners: Selfridges (UK), De Bijenkorf (Netherlands), Brown Thomas and Arnotts (Ireland).

The Group currently operates 40 luxury department stores across 34 major cities in 7 countries, through Europe’s most iconic retail banners: Rinascente (Italy, acquired 2011), Illum (Denmark, 2013), KaDeWe GmbH — comprising KaDeWe, Oberpollinger and Alsterhaus (Germany, 2015), Globus (Switzerland, 2020), and Selfridges Group (UK, Netherlands, Ireland – 2022). Each store occupies a prime, city-centre location and serves as a cultural landmark in its own right.

Central Group’s European transformation reached a new milestone in October 2025 with the opening of Globus Basel Marktplatz in Switzerland. Following a meticulous three-year redevelopment, the project breathes new life into a 119-year-old heritage building at the heart of Basel, seamlessly fusing the city’s distinctive character with contemporary luxury design. The result is a landmark destination that signals Central Group’s ambition to transform its European flagships into world-class stops on the global luxury shopping circuit.

The momentum continued into April 2026, when Selfridges unveiled “40 Duke” at Selfridges Oxford Street, London — a highly coveted, hybrid of personal shopping, cultural programming and social space spanning over 2,300 sqm across the store’s upper floors. The space comprises 24 private personal shopping suites, a club lounge, private dining rooms, and an open-air dining terrace, all meticulously tailored for VVSP (Very Very Selfridges People) — the pinnacle tier of the Selfridges Unlocked loyalty programme. 40 Duke represents a new vision for luxury retail: not merely a place to shop, but a world unto itself.

Beyond physical transformation, Central Group’s European banners have been quietly building another growth engine — retail media. Across the portfolio, stores are evolving into powerful media platforms, offering brands immersive in-store activations, and access to some of the most coveted luxury audiences in Europe.

Rinascente has led the way, positioning itself explicitly as a media company — orchestrating full-scale brand takeovers across its Italian network. Selfridges has followed with equal ambition, transforming its Oxford Street flagship into a year-round canvas for immersive brand experiences. De Bijenkorf has established itself as the premier brand activation platform in the Netherlands, with campaigns generating tens of millions of views, demonstrating the scale of audience that Central Group’s banners can deliver to brand partners.

Retail media is now the fastest-growing channel in the global advertising industry, projected to reach €25 billion in Europe alone by 2026. Central Group is positioning its European banners not just as places to shop, but as premium media destinations — where brands come not only to sell, but to be seen.

Having spent 15 years restoring and reimagining Europe’s finest luxury stores, Central Group is now poised for its next phase of growth — with a portfolio built on heritage, stronger brand partnerships, and the leadership team to realise its ambitions.