Moleskine has London cafe in diary

MOLESKINE, famed for its iconic notebooks and diaries, has been in talks with potential business partners in London over the global expansion of its eponymous cafe that first opened its doors in Milan last year.

Chairman Arrigo Berni told reporters that the Italian company has yet to find a good fit for its plans, but is confident that the Moleskine Cafe will soon make its way to Britain and further afield.

He said: “We’ve been having a number of conversations regarding locations in the UK over these past few months.

“We would love to find someone that would be able to help us on a global basis, but until now we haven’t found them, and we’re having conversations with local groups in different areas of the world.” Moleskine reported a 13 per cent rise in sales to €145.2million (£128.2million) last year – though pre-tax profits fell from €27.1million to €23.3million.

Mr Berni said the company is continuing to explore its digital future, pointing to its planning app and aspirational design with tech companies, as well as expanding towards non-profit work.