Modus Vallesi ran perfumeries across 9 Italian regions — then sold them all to Douglas

Vallesi S.p.A. operated a chain of perfumery and beauty retail stores under the Modus brand across nine regions in central and northern Italy. The company was a fixture of Italian high-street and shopping-centre beauty retail, with locations in Rome, including the Tor Vergata and Tiburtino shopping centres, Piazza Vittorio, Via Merulana and Via Tuscolana.

In 2025, Vallesi entered a negotiated composition procedure (composizione negoziata) under Italy's business-crisis legislation (D.Lgs. 14/2019), with a 120-day extension from May. As part of the restructuring, the company sold its Modus-branded stores to competitors D.M.O. and Douglas Italia. On May 29, 2025, Vallesi initiated a collective dismissal procedure affecting 55 workers across Italy, including 15 in Rome. The workforce was 97% women, many described as single-income workers with minor children.

Negotiations between the company and the Fisascat-Cisl union collapsed without agreement. The union accused Vallesi of acting unilaterally, sending dismissal letters before the legally expected procedure was complete and before a ministerial crisis table could be convened. The union demanded an urgent institutional table at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, but the layoffs proceeded. The case illustrated the fragility of mid-size Italian perfumery retail chains squeezed between online competition and the expansion of larger players like Douglas.