User:Tintin999/Priscilla Carluccio

Priscilla attended Guildford School of Art for three years to study photography. Guildford was the first school in the world where photography was taught as a design subject. She was taught by a student of the Bauhaus. Priscilla’s still-life portfolio inspired the Home Furnishings Buyer of Peter Jones, Sloane Square to stage an exhibition of her photographs at the beginning of an era when style and design were gaining prominence in the home.

Priscilla worked as staff photographer with the Juda’s on Ambassador magazine and went on to set up her own studio and became established as a freelance photographer with commissions from magazines such as Tatler, Queen, Man About Town and House and Garden.

In 1969, Priscilla moved to Paris, the same year that Habitat France was established. Priscilla worked on their first catalogue as a stylist and began a distinguished career in the home furnishings field. She went on to start an import business, bringing antique English pine furniture to the French market for the first time, becoming licensed as a “Marchand Ambulant”.

In 1975 Priscilla was appointed Buying Director & Stylist of the Conran Shop, London. Her specific brief was to give the store a merchandising identity and this role precipitated her move back to London. It was at the Conran Shop that Priscilla acquired an early knowledge of merchandising food and was one of the first retailers to recognise food as part of a lifestyle merchandising concept.

In 1983, Habitat acquired Mothercare and a new company was formed, Habitat Mothercare Group Design. Priscilla was one of the founding Directors responsible for overseeing the creation of a new brand image and product range for Mothercare in addition to her role at the Conran Shop.

With the formation of Storehouse, which included Habitat UK and France, Conran’s USA, Heals, The Conran Shop and Mothercare, Priscilla was appointed Stylist & Trend Forecaster for Home Furnishings. This involved setting up and managing the product development studio with a team designing furniture, ceramics, accessories, textiles and stationery. A major project was to put Heals back on the map as the quality ‘English’ store and to keep the market share for Conran shop, Heals and Habitat.

In 1986, with plans underway to move the Conran Shop into Michelin House, Fulham Road, Priscilla’s role as Buying Director of the Conran Shop was expanded and she was given responsibility for the creation of the shop’s new concept; the logo and graphics, interior design of the shop, defining departments and product ranges and service.

Priscilla left Storehouse and the Conran Shop in 1989 to start her own company with her partner, Paola Navone, called Due Mani. The company designed and developed handicrafts in the Far East to sell to the retail trade world wide.

In 1991, Priscilla went into partnership with her then husband Antonio and founded Carluccio’s, specialists in Italian food and funghi, opening a flagship store in London’s Covent Garden. Priscilla created the concept of Carluccio’s, overseeing the design of logo, packaging, shop design and product range with a five-year plan to develop a worldwide food brand. On extensive buying trips through the regions of Italy, She was responsible for sourcing artisanal Italian food products and importing them directly and exclusively to Britain, bringing originality and creativity to conventional food marketing.

As Managing Director of Carluccio’s, The Neal Street Food Shop, Priscilla was responsible for buying, product development and packaging, marketing, financial control, personnel management and strategic planning. In 1994, with the complete ingredients of the Italian store cupboard under the Carluccio’s brand name, Priscilla oversaw the establishment of the wholesale distribution of Carluccio’s. This provided Britain’s first and only fully comprehensive range of Italian regional packaged foods to retailers of quality food nationwide. Priscilla also implemented yearly seminars of product tasting and knowledge, a previously unheard of service by wholesalers.

For Christmas 1994, Priscilla developed Carluccio’s first colour Christmas catalogue of gift boxes available nationwide by courier for which she oversaw the design, styling, photography and distribution. This has proved phenomenally successful every Christmas since.

1998 saw Priscilla designing the concept for a series of Carluccio’s Caffés; finding operational partners and raising capital, overseeing the plans and designs and putting together a team to work on the new venture. Priscilla became Director of Marketing & Product Development and designed a new collection for Carluccio’s retail and the Millennium.

November 1999 saw the opening of the first Carluccio’s caffé, combining a caffé with an authentic alimentari food shop and deli, on Market Place in London W1. Priscilla continued by designing all the sites with the Architect and Development Director.

In 2005, Priscilla stepped down from the Board of Carluccio’s, staying on as a consultant. She continued working on designing the new sites, and offering advice and direction in Marketing, Product Development and Design, until 2006. To date there are more than 40 Carluccio’s caffés in the UK and Ireland.

In 2006, Priscilla decided to embark on a new venture, a special one off shop, called Few and Far. Between 2006 and March 2008, Priscilla searched for a site for the new shop, recruited personnel, worked on the design of the shop, sourced products and furniture and developed product for the opening collection. Few and Far opened in Knightsbridge in March 2008. Since opening it has won three awards: -

* Elle Decoration Magazine – British Design Award for ‘Retail’ (October 2008)
 * Daily Candy – Sweetest Things for the best ‘Nest’ (January 2009)
 * Conde Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards in association with Marriott Hotels – ‘Retail’ award (April 2009).

Priscilla has 3 grown up children and 5 grandchildren by her first husband.

In the summer of 2009, Priscilla and Antonio were granted a divorce.

TIMELINE

Trained as a photographer.

1969	Priscilla moves to Paris and works as a stylist with Habitat France on their first catalogue.

1975	Appointed Buying Director and Stylist of The Conran Shop, London.

1980	Becomes a founding Director of Habitat Mothercare Group Design.

1981	Appointed Stylist & Trend Forecaster for Home Furnishings of Storehouse, which includes Habitat UK and France, Conran’s USA, The Conran Shop, Heals and Mothercare, and Head of Product Development for the Home Furnishings group.

1986	Priscilla leaves Storehouse and The Conran Shop to start her own company, ‘Due Mani’ with partner Paola Navone, designing and developing handicrafts in the Far East to sell in Europe.

1991	Priscilla co-founds Carluccio’s, specialists in Italian food and funghi, and opens flagship deli in London’s Covent Garden.

1998	Priscilla creates concept for a series of Carluccio’s deli caffés, overseeing plans and designs as well as putting together the team to work on the new venture. Priscilla becomes Director of Marketing & Product Development.

1999	The first Carluccio’s Caffé opens in Market Place, London W1.

2005	Priscilla steps down as Marketing Director of Carluccio’s and begins as consultant until 2007.

2006	Priscilla forms a new company, “Few and Far”, begins product development, sourcing and searching for a site.

2008	Priscilla opens Few and Far in Brompton Road on 1st March.

“You’d have to search far and wide to find another shop like Few and Far, Priscilla Carluccio’s new concept emporium in London’s Knightsbridge area.” – New York Times Style Magazine – May 2008

2010	Update with 2010 Edition. Merchandise refined.