Nerini S.p.A. – upholstery supplies – celebrated sixty years of activity in 2024. Today, the company is led by Alessandro and Cristina Nerini, the second generation of a family that created and developed a business which now counts dozens of direct collaborators.
It all began with the founder, Giovanni Nerini, originally from Panzano in the Mugello area. In 1960, he moved with his family to Prato, where—thanks to his father Guido—he entered the world of the cenciaioli, the artisans who selected rags to create new fabrics.
After a period working as a factory employee, in 1964 Giovanni registered as a self-employed craftsman, collecting jute scraps to help his elderly father. He soon discovered that jute was in high demand among upholsterers, who used it under chair bottoms. This led him to begin supplying local artisans, especially in Quarrata, the heart of Tuscan upholstery production.
Despite the early challenges—traveling from town to town, closed doors, and the mistrust toward someone “from outside”—the business began to grow. With the help of his brother Franco, Giovanni expanded his offer to include materials such as nylon, fabrics, zippers, and threads.
In 1972, “Nerini Giovanni e Franco – upholstery supplies” was officially founded, in the same year that the family patriarch Guido passed away.
In the 1980s, the company continued to grow, leading to the establishment of Nerini S.p.A. in 1989. The operational headquarters, originally located in Prato, were moved to Quarrata, in Via Vecchia Fiorentina, inside a former historical sofa factory. This is where the company still operates today: 15,000 square meters, 10,000 of which are dedicated to warehouses that handle over one hundred shipments every day between company trucks and external couriers.
«If we’ve come this far, it’s thanks to the family»
says Alessandro Nerini. “And by family, we also mean everyone who works with us. We try to make every collaborator feel valued, leading by example through mutual respect—something our parents taught us.”
Alongside Giovanni, there has always been Anna Zanieri—his wife and the family’s cornerstone—who is still present in the company today with her experience. It is thanks to her that the history of Nerini is officially documented: she collected all the memories in a diary deposited at the Fondazione Archivio Diaristico Nazionale Onlus in Pieve Santo Stefano, recognized as a document of public interest.
Like many manufacturing businesses, Nerini has also faced difficult times.
“The 2008 crisis was extremely tough,” recalls Alessandro. “Between 2008 and 2014, around eighty of our client companies closed. It was both an economic and emotional blow.”
“Behind those closures were families just like ours,” adds Cristina. “Often second-generation entrepreneurs.” In 2022, Giovanni passed away, and the family continues to carry forward his legacy and entrepreneurial spirit.
What was the secret to enduring? “Not just keeping up with the times, but staying ahead of them,” Alessandro says, recalling his father. This forward-looking approach led Nerini to focus on a rapidly growing sector: motion systems and reclining mechanisms for armchairs and sofas.
Today, the company is a leader in Italy in this field and collaborates with major retail brands and international companies.
