An innovative PMI that, from 2026, will operate in the world of design as a platform for technological development and innovation in Go2market processes; a laboratory for new distribution models that open up possibilities of new store formats that can be redefined as points of integration between industry, distribution and the end customer
The “design furniture” sector is not struggling due to a lack of quality, creativity or product. It is lagging behind because it continues to use distribution models and processes and provide a customer experience that are no longer in line with contemporary market expectations. Fragmented digitalization, manual processes, poor integration between sales and production, and underdeveloped stores: the gap is not technological in the abstract sense, but structural.
It is from this observation, gained in the field, that the new strategic phase of Contract District Group (CDG) was born. CDG has always stood out for its research and development of services and solutions aimed at integrating furniture systems into residential property developments, in order to enhance and simplify both the purchasing process and the customer’s move into their future home (with a home that is already partially or fully furnished). Over the last nine years, CDG has built a leading position in the B2B2C channel linked to residential real estate, designing, selling and installing over 3.800 interiors for highly complex Build to Sell and Build to Rent projects. This context has required clarity in rules, operational rigor, process control, complexity management and constant alignment between design, production, installation and customer service.
The real estate supply sector remains a solid and strategic channel for CDG thanks to its operational and financial capabilities, with a structured backlog and established relationships with major developers, investors and Made in Italy furniture brands. But it is precisely this experience that has made one thing clear: many of the inefficiencies currently present in the modular furniture retail sector have already been resolved elsewhere through processes and technology.
Over the last fifteen months, CDG has therefore chosen to re-channel and enhance its know-how, recognizing that the proprietary processes and native software developed for real estate were not just internal tools, but transferable, scalable and industrializable assets for retail. The mission is to redefine a new, scalable customer journey that accelerates the initial phase of design, costing and graphic rendering in preparation for the definition of a modular furniture project. In the furniture retail market, apart from showrooms, there is currently no tool capable of redefining and enhancing the shopping experience, maximizing sales time through advanced digital processes and tools capable of managing the complexity of the entire furniture design cycle and aligning it with the simplification already underway in other B2C industries.
This is where DESOP (Design Operations) comes in, an innovative SME that from 2026 will operate as a platform for technological development and process innovation, a laboratory for new go-to-market models and store formats, and a point of integration between industry, distribution and the end customer. Through the applications under development, DESOP aims to integrate the physical experience of interior design consultancy with the digital experience, offering real-time visualization, selection and rapid design of even complex furniture elements and systems from the leading brands in the sector. The DESOP model, already validated in the field and now at an advanced stage, integrates digital platforms, processes and artificial intelligence to redesign the buying experience, reduce inefficiencies and transform the store into a true industrial interface between brand and market.
“The problem with the sector is not design,” comments Lorenzo Pascucci, CEO of Contract District Group. “It’s the way design is sold, communicated and made scalable. Real estate with large supplies remains an area of absolute leadership for the group in Italy, but today, furniture retail must and can make a structural leap both nationally and internationally. DESOP was created for this purpose and is open to brands that want to build the next distribution standard, overcoming the structural limitations of the current one.”
