MILAN — Storied Milanese pastry shop Marchesi 1824, owned by Prada Group, has named veteran hospitality executive Ivan Haller as its new chief executive officer.
He succeeds Andrea Menicatti, whose next move could not immediately be learned.
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The original Marchesi opened two centuries ago at via Santa Maria alla Porta, off Corso Magenta, and has expanded its reach with outposts both in Milan and abroad since it became part of Prada Group’s portfolio in March 2014.
New units were added in Milan’s Via Monte Napoleone in 2015 and at the landmark Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade in 2016. As reported, the patisserie also landed in London’s Mount Street in 2019 and added a second unit in the city at Harrods earlier this year inside the department store’s Chocolate Hall on the ground floor.
Haller brings 25 years of international experience in hospitality and food and beverage to the Milan institution, which celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024 with the Assouline book “Pasticceria Marchesi: Savoring the Spirit of Milan.” The executive was most recently president of Nexus Luxury Collection, overseeing openings and developments across the group’s properties in London, New York, St. Andrews, Scotland, and Albany, Bahamas.
Prior to that he held leadership positions at Four Seasons, as well as Aman where he served as global head of food and beverage operations and development.
Haller’s appointment confirms Prada Group’s ambition to scale the Marchesi 1824 brand and business, whose importance has only grown stronger in light of the recently unveiled Prada Galleria store concept at the landmark Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade.
While the original pastry shop and confectionary kept all of its original Art Nouveau interiors and neighborhood feel, the Italian luxury group amplified the charm of the historic brand for the new cafés it opened, by tapping longtime go-to architect Roberto Baciocchi to slick the walls with Prada’s signature eau de nil paint and green floral jacquard silk wallpaper.
Marchesi 1824’s handmade sweet creations have gained a loyal following among the Milanese as well as an increasingly international customer base.
The stars in the pastry shop’s offering include the iconic panettone — the sweet doughy loaf dotted with candied fruit and raisins that first put the patisserie on the map — and its famous Torta Aurora vanilla-flavored sponge cake.
The storied café is not Prada Group’s only hospitality venture. In 2023 the group added a new property in Forte dei Marmi, a unique case in the group’s hospitality projects as it blends the identity of the original Caffè Principe with the Marchesi 1824 and Prada ones.
