The 1950’s
The history of Zarbo’s begins with the story of a businessman who founded it back in 1959 in a small city centre in the Sicilian hinterland called San Giovanni Gemini, in the province of Agrigento.
Here, Mr. Giuseppe Zarbo, a typical example of a self- made man, with the collaboration of his young wife Giovanna, inaugurated a small shop called “For him and For her” . He turned his street merchant job round and about the various city centres of the province, which involved selling fabric and bedding products for the home, into an independent business in a fixed location. In his first retail store , for the first time in the area , he sold a “new” product : tailored clothing.

The 1960’s
In 1967, the shop is moved to a larger premises calling it the “Zarbo Fashion House “ located in the main street of the city centre and historical centre, where a selection of the best brand name items of the period were offered to the clientele giving life to a true revolution in the ways of perceiving the retail business in the area.

The 1970’s
After an initial success, the necessity to open a new selling point arose which would allow not only greater efficiency but the opportunity to grow and improve even more so. .
Within a few years, the new 1,500 square metre retail establishment would be created and inaugurated in 1975 and it would be dedicated to selling apparel for men, women, children and brides.: ZARBO
. Many people thought this was insane This was the beginning of the 70’s., there’s an ongoing economic crisis , and it seemed absurd that a retail business of this kind could resist in a city centre with a population of 7,000. However, Mr. Zarbo firmly believed in his idea because he knew that in the area “the right product was missing”.
In this same period, an impressive advertising campaign for communication marketing was created and billboards with the famous slogan” da Zarbo c’è ,”( which means “ Zarbo’s has it “ ) were put up along the arterial road Palermo-Agrigento. This coin phrase was invented by Mr. Zarbo himself and as a potential communication channel , it is still modern and efficient today and it is destined to arouse the curiosity of the many people passing by. (to this day still reclaimed by many prominent companies)
In this way, the company has succeeded in gradually creating a “strong “ image that still today, represents without a doubt a remarkable competitive advantage.

The 80’s
In the beginning of the 80’s, the businesspeople feel the need to concentrate on the sales of childrens’ apparel in a new and specific selling point which would be called “Bimbo in by Zarbo “ a 400 square metre store , specialised in maternity clothing, newborn and childrens’ clothing from zero to sixteen years old.
Finally , in 1989 the last stroke of the pen allows the closure of the circle of the entire business when the third selling point was inaugurated. “Class, the clothing city “ “Class, città dell’abbigliamento”.
This is a 3 floor , 1,000 metre establishment dedicated to selling men and women’s apparel which are of good quality, tasteful and with very competitive prices. This new selling point has a very young and bold image similar to the kind of clientele it is addressed to. A well known sports athlete, an olympic gold medal winner of the 200 metre Pietro Mennea took part in the grand opening of the new store, as our testimonial. He personifies , in some way, the loyalty and the competitive spirit which has always marked the business’ path and how it continues to be distinguished by its mission.

From the 90’s til present
The Zarbo group has gradually spread their sphere of action in an area that is still geographically limited within the provinces of Agrigento, Caltanissetta and Palermo, regional capitals included, bringing to San Giovanni Gemini a clientele from 50 different districts of the area.
This small city centre has evolved around The “ Zarbo Store “ and has changed over the years, from having an economy based mainly on farming to being a flourishing shopping centre. Other local businesses then appeared, dealing in different marketing sectors, which drew customers to their business that were originally drawn by Zarbo’s.
The businesspeople in charge of the business are the second generation of the Zarbo family, The five children together with their companions , each with a specific role( position ) and responsibility, are prompted by the same spirit and they continue to follow the same path marked by their parents who still occupy a valuable position regarding the strategic supervision of the company.
Currently ,with the help of a specialized team of skilled professionals , Zarbo’s (the business) is able to satisfy any kind of fashion necessity , offering a large selection of the most prestigious international and national high fashion band name apparel.

It is committed to respecting their main ambition , in other words , they are committed to being the organisation which is
“ First for quality , reliability and expertise “ in the eyes of their customers.