Bologna Court Places Gruppo 8 Under Judicial Administration

The Forlì-based upholstered furniture manufacturer Gruppo 8 has been placed under judicial administration for one year by the Court of Bologna.

Judicial Administration and Scope of Oversight

The court’s decree mandates the appointment of an expert to monitor corporate actions related to subcontracting and management procedures. According to investigators, the intervention stems from concerns regarding Gruppo 8’s oversight of Sofalegname, a subcontractor company operating within the same facility. While the criminal proceedings for alleged illicit labor intermediation and exploitation target the administrator and two collaborators of Sofalegname, the measure against Gruppo 8 focuses on the company’s organizational deficiencies and its commercial relationships with suppliers.

The court stated that it identified a culpable facilitation of the conduct attributed to subjects of the supplier company, linking it to the methods of commercial relations and the organizational deficiencies identified.

Company Response to Legal Findings

Massimiliano Pompignoli, the attorney representing Gruppo 8, stated that the company rejects any involvement in caporalato, or illegal labor brokering. Pompignoli noted that the firm intends to challenge the court’s reconstruction of events in the appropriate legal venues. During the notification process at the Guardia di Finanza, the company’s general manager—who participated via remote link from abroad—underwent a nearly three-hour interview with the court-appointed administrator.

The company will assert its reasons regarding this reconstruction in the competent venues, the attorney said, adding that this assessment must be kept distinct from the verification of participation in the crime of gangmastering.

Gruppo 8 Ceases Activity After Staff Reductions

Gruppo 8 is currently non-operational. The company ceased activity following significant staff reductions in November 2025, during which 21 employees were laid off without social safety nets, and 12 additional workers were let go due to the expiration of fixed-term contracts.

According to the company’s account, protests involving employees of another firm resulted in blockades at the facility gates that lasted for more than three months in 2025. These blockades allegedly prevented the regular execution of production, led to the loss of commercial contracts, and ultimately made the continuation of business at the site impossible. The company has confirmed that it will continue to cooperate with the judicial administrator and the involved authorities.