Italian clothing chain Benetton Group said on Wednesday it would close all its directly-managed shops in Italy for two weeks starting from Thursday in an effort to protect both employees and customers against coronavirus.

On Monday the government placed the whole of Italy under lockdown until next month to try to beat the virus outbreak in Europe's worst-affected country.

Benetton Group's move mirrors a similar decision taken by other Italian chains including fashion retailer Calzedonia and sports apparel retailer Cisalfa.