From a heart-stopping corporate crisis — resolved through a complex continuity agreement — to a textbook turnaround, culminating in being selected by Decathlon not just as a supplier, but as a true production partner for stores across Europe and in markets like Brazil, Russia, and China. All this while manufacturing athletic footwear — a product category highly vulnerable to Asian competition. This is the rare and remarkable trajectory of Skandia, a Treviso-based company founded in 1979 and “reborn” in 2023 after its crisis. Economy spoke with Mario Porcaro, now CEO of the company, who initially joined as a consultant for the complex restructuring process. “I stepped in as of January 2023, during a very delicate time,” recalls the executive. “The company was going through a deep crisis and had filed for a continuity agreement (concordato preventivo in continuità). As an advisor — and above all, as a chartered accountant specialized in business crises — I supported ownership in defining and implementing the recovery plan. At the end of the legal proceedings, the shareholders wanted to mark a clear break from the past management, and as of January 2024, they appointed me as chairman and CEO. From that point on, we embarked on a deep and concrete path to relaunch.”
by Roberta Imbimbo
What was the strategy for overcoming the crisis?
We undertook a thorough restructuring: we closed the plant in Romania, which had become too costly, and reinforced production in Serbia. More recently, we launched a new production operation in Tunisia, where the combination of quality and cost-competitiveness represents a strategic opportunity for our growth. We reduced costs, streamlined processes, and reactivated key commercial relationships, particularly in Eastern Europe. Decathlon gave us crucial support — they’re the customer everyone wants, with nearly 1,700 stores and €16.2 billion in revenue in 2024. Not only did they select us as a supplier, but from day one they treated us as a true production partner, which allowed us to ramp up our manufacturing volumes. We also invested in internal talent and established an advisory board made up of high-profile professionals — Elia Mocellin, Stefano Loschi, and Michele Zorzan — who support me with strategic vision and foresight.
Are you also looking at growth through acquisitions?
Yes, that’s a cornerstone of our strategy. In a stagnant market, growth through acquisitions is essential for achieving economies of scale. We’re evaluating several potential deals, but often we face a certain cultural resistance from Italian companies, which are still reluctant to embrace consortium and aggregation models. What we need is more vision and less fear of change.
What are your plans for the future?
We’re working on new collections with a focus on product innovation, comfort, and sustainability. In particular, we’re developing two new ultra-light sole lines designed to combine durability, flexibility, and lightness — perfect for a market that demands both design and performance. At the same time, our strategic goal for 2026 is twofold: on the one hand, we aim to expand our client portfolio by targeting premium brands and international retail chains — we’ve already started business discussions with several of them. On the other hand, we plan to significantly increase our production capacity. We’re also investing in digitalization and process automation to make our supply chain more efficient and traceable. Throughout all this, we remain focused on the values that define us: quality, reliability, and sustainable business management.
So, does Skandia have a new identity today?
I’d say we’ve rediscovered our industrial vocation, focusing on innovation, efficiency, and quality. We’ve built a modern governance structure capable of making strategic decisions quickly. It’s a business model that values people and puts economic and organizational sustainability at its core.
So Skandia is looking to the future with confidence?
Absolutely. We’ve overcome a major crisis and today we are a healthy company, with a solid structure, a clear vision, and shareholders ready to support further growth and acquisitions. The crisis is behind us. Now, we’re moving forward with determination — ready to take on new challenges as key players.
