Enel Energia's Local Hubs in Lombardy: a story of closeness, values, and community

«As an employee, an experience like this really lets you see firsthand how much Enel Energia is recognized and appreciated in the area». Valentina Curedda, Channel Manager Indirect Stores, is part of the team that, during the recovery from the most challenging phases of the pandemic, worked to bring the brand to the people. even beyond the Spazio Enel Partner locations, through a series of temporary hubs. The goal was not only to introduce the services, but also the values and ideas. «When customers walk into a Spazio Enel Partner, they always have a specific need to discuss. But if they meet you out and about, in a shopping center or a park, they always give that look of recognition and smile as if to say: "Ah! You’re Enel!" It’s a heartwarming thing, it makes you feel important. It reminds us what this company means to Italians». The project was created in the North-West Macro Area; so far, the hubs have been in Milan and Lecco, but the initiative has a potential for rooting that goes well beyond any specific location. «It teaches the importance of speaking with customers face to face, of listening to their stories. You’re offering them a commercial proposal, but also a set of values, and to do that it’s important to know who they are, and the best way is always to be deeply rooted in the territory».

This work of dialogue and listening is currently carried out by 111 entrepreneurs who manage a total of 285 active stores in the North-West Macro Area. However, as Francesco Saverino, another Enel Energia professional involved in the project, explains, «this innovative format has the advantage of flexibility and quick setup times. It’s a way to test locations, to enter areas where we might soon open new Spazio Enel sites, and to help entrepreneurs increase their visibility». Presence and rooting are also a matter of relationships and worldview. Before these hubs, the project Enel in Circolo was launched during 2021. In that case too, it started from telling Enel’s values, specifically circular economy and a more sustainable relationship with resources. In fourteen Spazio Enel locations in Milan, customers could leave a disused item that would then become part of conceptual artworks created by the artist Dario Tironi. «Circular economy is a business model for Enel, and we wanted to show how it can be translated into everyday life for individual citizens, through this small symbolic gesture», says Antonella Izzo, who oversees events and sponsorships for Enel Energia’s Commercial Communication throughout Italy. Over two thousand items were received: mice, pens, pencils, even puzzle pieces, all assembled by Tironi into five artworks. One of these artworks accompanied the hub at the Temporary Box in Parco Solari in Milan.

The first hub was held in a shopping center, CityLife in Milan, during the summer of 2021. That Temporary Box was, in many ways, the true start of this story: an island set up like a small store that allowed Milanese residents to learn about and talk with Enel while shopping in one of the city’s busiest spaces. It was the first experiment in public dialogue, also thanks to the work of the partner Grandinumeri Srl, one of the most active entrepreneurs in opening Spazio Enel Partner locations in the Macro Area, with nine stores already open and one more on the way. «The right partner is absolutely essential for these initiatives. They bring the resources, the enthusiasm, they staff the stand, and they speak about us to the people», explains Francesco. The next step was moving into the city’s public spaces: in September, the hub relocated to Parco Solari, where alongside the Temporary Box, there was a packed schedule of activities created together with local associations, from yoga to children’s games. After six months of intense activity in Milan, the hub moved to a smaller city, Lecco, using the same model, in two shopping centers: Centro Meridiana (designed by Renzo Piano) and the Palataurus in Maggianico.
Valentina adds: «It was also an opportunity to announce to the city of Lecco the upcoming opening of another store in town, the Spazio Enel Partner on Corso Emanuele Filiberto 109. The Spazio Enel sites support customers locally, helping to foster closeness and provide our products to both new and existing customers».

A major part of this journey is giving back to the community, not only through Tironi’s artworks and the promotion of circular economy, but also through initiatives that have a concrete impact on people’s lives. In Milan, alongside the commercial hubs, the Giardini di via Dezza, just a few steps from Parco Solari and the Temporary Box were refurbished. In just a couple of months, the football and basketball fields were fully renewed: new grass, new flooring, and new nets. The same care went into the children’s play area and the dog park. The hedges were improved, and new benches were added. It all concluded with a joyful neighborhood celebration, attended by Mayor Beppe Sala and the CEO of Enel Italia, Nicola Lanzetta. There were entertainers, circus games, an ice cream cart, and a photo exhibition showcasing the work done in the gardens. As Antonella Izzo explains, this project was a circular narrative, just like the economy it aimed to promote. «Lavoisier said that nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, but everything is transformed. That’s the spirit of the story we wanted to share, that disused items can find new life, that materials can become increasingly sustainable, that parks can be reborn, and that Enel’s energy is becoming more and more renewable».