Italy’s largest independent bookseller has made its long-anticipated Latin American debut. Great news! But the choice of venue is the story.
Feltrinelli has just opened the doors of its first bookstore outside Italy – not in Buenos Aires, Mexico City or São Paulo, but in Montevideo, Uruguay. A country of fewer than 4 million – about the size of Metropolitan Rome.
The decision is, commercially speaking, audacious. And that is precisely the point.
The project required a total investment of around $1 million, with the 650-square-metre space across two floors occupying a grade-4 listed heritage building in the Ciudad Vieja.
When asked directly why Montevideo rather than the continent’s major commercial centres, Feltrinelli president Carlo Feltrinelli reportedly replied simply: “De a poco, de a poco” – slowly, slowly. The group has stressed that the choice of Uruguay reflects a long-term cultural strategy, not a rapid or mass expansion.
The Logic of the Smaller Stage
Those who have never had the pleasure of visiting Montevideo will be wondering what Feltrinelli sees that others might miss. Local partner Alejandro Lagazeta points to Montevideo’s ecosystem: the city has bookseller-lined streets and a reading culture that functions at a human scale, allowing genuine dialogue.
I can vouch for that, but still I was surprised to learn (via Medios Públicos) that 49% of Uruguay’s population is of Italian descent, providing both cultural affinity and a natural audience for Italian publishing identity.
CEO Alessandra Carra explained: “We are starting in Montevideo to establish a solid foundation before evaluating where to take the Feltrinelli experience next.”
Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Mexico City are all cited as future targets – but only once Montevideo proves the model.
Deep Roots, New Posture
Feltrinelli’s desire to expand into the Spanish-speaking world was first sparked more than fifteen years ago, reinforced by its acquisition of Anagrama. But the Milan house has a long prior relationship with the region: in the 1960s it helped introduce Latin American literary voices to European audiences.
The Montevideo opening marks a shift – from importing talent to embedding in territory.
Three local partners anchor the venture: Uruguayans Alejandro Lagazeta and Juan Castillo, and Argentine Pablo Braun of Eterna Cadencia. Their involvement is structural, not cosmetic, designed to prevent what the group explicitly calls an “enclave effect.”
The View From The Beach
For publishing professionals watching international bookselling strategy unfold, the Feltrinelli model in Montevideo offers a compelling counter-narrative to scale-first expansion: planned exchanges of booksellers, author circulation between Uruguay and Italy, and active links with Latin American publishers are all built into the launch. Sixty thousand titles. A café. Evening literary salons. And, above all, patience.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
