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THE LATESTS BOUTIQUES: SOTHEBY’S, SHANGHAI TANG & SALVATORE FERRAGAMO

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IWC’s first U.S. flagship on Madison Avenue, New York City

The Latest openings from Armani Casa, Vacheron Constantin, Roger Vivier, IWC and Jimmy Choo, in Miami, Beijing, Costa Mesta, Milan, New York & Hong Kong

Cautious whispers of a slowdown in China have rippled through the luxury industry, despite the stellar performance of luxury goods in 2012. Ledbury Research recently confirmed the increasingly wary attitudes of luxury brand CEO’s, and pointed out that while sales have increased, in many cases market share has declined.

CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets explicitly disagrees, saying Chinese consumers will continue to purchase watches, handbags, jewellery and expensive clothes. “Wealthy individuals won’t slow down their spending,” remarked CLSA analyst Aaron Fischer to the Wall Street Journal. Barring a terrorist attack, pandemic or corruption crackdown, China will continue to lead the boom in luxury goods for years to come, according to the firm’s research.

And if brick-and-mortar store openings are anything to go buy, the luxury industry still believes in the promise of China. Vacheron Constantin this month opened its third boutique in Beijing alone, as Michael Kors launched in the city’s Shin Kong Place shopping mall and Roberto Cavalli in the Peninsula Hotel. Zegna moved into tier-2 city Shenyang, as Lancel launched a new concept store in Shanghai.

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Armani Casa, Miami

Armani Casa has moved into Miami’s new design district, with a 340sqm space at 10 NE 39th Street. It is the first Armani Casa store in Miami and the third in the United States. The store will house a range of furniture decor, tableware, decorative accessories, fabrics, ornaments, lighting and bathroom and kitchen products, as well as offering the brands “made to measure” interior design service.

Website: armanicasa.com
Source: WWD

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Dior Homme, New York

Dior Homme has launched a pop-up space in New York’s SoHo, whilst its 57th Street undergoes renovation. The Greene Street location features ready-to-wear, footwear, eyewear, leather goods, watches, jewellery and fragrance. Creative Director Kris Van Assche has selected a piece by Robert Montgomery to display in the boutique.

Website: dior.com/homme
Source: Fashion Windows

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Jimmy Choo, Hong Kong

Jimmy Choo has unveiled its first dual gender store, after expanding and renovating its boutique in Hong Kong’s Elements mall. The storefront features side-by-side entrances for women and men’s, each with its own dedicated shopping environment. The reimagined store is the first retail opening managed wholly by Jimmy Choo Hong Kong Limited, the venture created following the acquisition of the shareholding from joint venture partner Bluebell.

Website: jimmychoo.com
Source: Choo Connection

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IWC, New York

IWC Schaffhausen has opened its first US flagship in New York City at 535 Madison Avenue. The NYC store is the first of its kind, presenting the company’s watch families – Aquatimer, Pilot’s Watches, Portofino, Ingenieur, Da Vinci, and Portuguese – in themed settings that reflect their individual character.

Website & Source: iwc.com

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Lancel, Shanghai

Lancel has launched a concept store in Shanghai, designed by Christopher Pillot, who dressed the Champs-Elysees maison. The boutique features a handcrafted Murano glass chandelier and stained-glass panels, hand-painted by French artist Caroline Pregermain. Elsewhere oak flooring, brushed metals, LED lighting and vegetal furniture leathers house the brand’s accessories.

Website: lancel.com
Source: Luxury Insider

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Lamborghini, Moscow

Lamborghini has contracted with the Burevestnik Group, a luxury automobile and yacht retailer located in Moscow, to become Lamborghini’s first official dealership. A temporary sales operation has been launched in the Crocus City Mall whilst the group finalises construction of a Moscow showroom. The completed dealership will house sales, service and accessory sales for the complete Lamborghini product line-up. (Newport Beach dealership pictured)

Website: lamborghini.com
Source: Motor Authority

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Max Mara, Bucharest

Max Mara has launched a flagship store in Bucharest, which houses the Max Mara line alongside SportMax. The brand formerly operated a small store on Calea Victoriei in partnership with Alsa Group, but this new launch makes its presence in Romania one of its largest in Eastern Europe. (Paris boutique pictured)

Website: maxmara.com
Source: CPP Luxury

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Michael Kors, Beijing

Michael Kors has opened his first store in Beijing and its largest in China, located in the Shin Kong Place shopping mall. The 225sqm store retails accessories and ready-to-wear from both the main and diffusion lines and features a large format video screen showing the designer’s runway shows.

Website: michaelkors.com
Source: WWD

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Odin, New York

Niche perfume brand Odin New York has opened its first pop-up shop in collaboration with Snarkitecture. The pop up shop will remain open for six weeks, and will include all six of Odin’s unisex and home fragrances. The aim of the boutique is to showcase the product design by inverting the darkness of the packaging resulting in a bright, clean space.

Website: odinedt.com
Source: Bois de Jasmine

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Prada, Porto Cervo

Opening its second store in the Italian holiday destination of Porto Cervo, Prada has inaugurated a 95sqm space dedicated to menswear and accessories on La Passeggiata, the town’s luxury shopping street.

Website: prada.com
Source: CPP Luxury

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Roberto Cavalli, Beijing

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli has opened the first phase of his debut store in China, within the arcade of the Peninsula Hotel, Beijing. The 300sqm space houses women and men’s ready-to-wear, as well as accessories, eyewear, perfumes, timewear and kidswear collections.

Website: robertocavalli.com
Source: Fashion United

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Roger Vivier, Costa Mesa

Roger Vivier has opened its third U.S. boutique, and its first in California, within the South Coast Plaza luxury mall in Costa Mesa. The 92sqm space features the brand’s seasonal footwear and accessories collections, as well as the limited-edition Rendez-Vous line for traveling.

Website: rogervivier.com
Source: WWD

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Salvatore Ferragamo, New York City

Salvatore Ferragamo’s largest boutique – its Fifth Avenue flagship – has reopened following 13th weeks of renovation. The 1,900sqm space features womenswear, menswear, accessories, shoes, and also the recently launched fine jewellery collection. The brand also used the occasion to debut the Travel Luggage Collection, set to launch this summer.

Website: ferragamo.com
Source: Style Rumor

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Shanghai Tang, Hong Kong

Shanghai Tang has launched a three-storey Mansion in Hong Kong, celebrating modern elegance and fashion through colours, exquisite fabrics, unique designs and prints. Womenswear occupies space on the ground and first floors, featuring a curved ceiling, a peony brass-inlay on the wooden flooring, fan-patterned screens and semi-circular seating.

Evoking a discreet gentleman’s club in warm hues, the calm, masculine Men’s wear floor offers ample leather seating, as well as an embossed dragon, a Chinese symbol of power.

Website & Source: shanghaitang.com

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Sotheby’s, Hong Kong

Sotheby’s is soon to open a 1,400sqm permanent exhibition space in Hong Kong, and will celebrate with a string of exhibitions running through the end of May. The gallery will occupy the entire fifth floor of One Pacific Place, the massive space will become a sort of HQ for the global auction house to expand its presence in Asia beyond its current biannual auction series in April and October.

Website: sothebys.com
Source: Jing Daily

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Vacheron Constantin, Beijing

Vacheron Constatin has unveiled its third flagship Beijing, on the ground floor of Beijing Macau Center, bringing the total number of stores worldwide to 30. The opening also coincided with the arrival of three special edition watches in Beijing and at the store, including the newly launched Patrimony Traditionnelle 14-Day Tourbillon, Métiers d’Art Kalla Haute Couture à Pampilles and the Patrimony Traditionnelle Calibre 2253.

Website: vacheron-constantin.com
Source: Luxury Insider

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Zegna, Shenyang

Ermenegildo Zegna recently celebrated the opening of its fourth China flagship, in the north-eastern luxury hotspot Shenyang. The 505sqm space within Shenyang’s MixC mall has been designed by architect Peter Marino, divided into three sections for each of Zegna’s brands: Ermenegildo Zegna suits and accessories, Z Zegna, and Z Sport.

Website: zegna.com
Source: Jing Daily

For more in the series of The Latest Boutiques, please see our most recent editions as follows:

– The Latest Boutiques: Chanel, Tom Ford & Valentino
– The Latest Boutiques: Céline, Chaumet & Elie Saab
– The Latest Boutiques, Burberry, Bally & Boucheron

© Luxury Society, The Latest Boutiques: Sotheby’s, Shanghai Tang & Salvatore Ferragamo, 09 May 2012, by Sophie Doran.

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THE LATEST APPOINTMENTS: CARTIER, CACHAREL & CHRISTIAN DIOR

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Raf Simons has been appointed as creative director of Christian Dior, succeeding John Galliano.

 

The Latest Appointments at Starwood Hotels, Christie’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Cartier, YSL Beauté, Sonia Rykiel, PPR, Bentley Motors, Akris & Cacharel

The Dior saga is finally over. After one year of speculation – where everyone from Riccardo Tisci, Marc Jacobs, Kayne West, Alber Elbaz, Alexander Wang and even the disgraced Galliano himself were rumoured to be taking the top spot – Raf Simons has been confirmed to head womenswear and haute couture, whilst Kris Van Assche continues to head design at Dior Homme.

Over at Richemont, group manufacturing director Jan Rupert is stepping down to focus on other activities and to broaden his remit within the family of companies controlled by Johann Rupert. Whilst Mr. Rupert will remain an executive director of the group, Richard Lepeu, Richemont’s deputy chief executive, will oversee the group’s manufacturing strategy as of April 1.

At PPR, Gucci America’s president Laura Lendrum has resigned to pursue other opportunities according to WWD. Ms. Lendrum joined Gucci in 1997, and moved to Yves Saint Laurent America as president in 2001. Gucci president and chief executive officer Patrizio di Marco will oversee the Americas region in the interim until the company names a successor.

Raf Simons, Creative Director, Dior

Ending a year of speculation, Belgian designer Raf Simons has been named as the next artistic director of Christian Dior, following his recent exit from Jil Sander. Mr. Simons will be in charge of haute couture, women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, starting with the couture show in July, while keeping his eponymous men’s line. Kris Van Assche remains in his position at Dior Homme.

Source: NYTimes
Stanislas de Quercize, CEO, Cartier

Cartier has appointed Stanislas de Quercize to take over from Bernard Fornas as chief executive of top-of-the-range jewellery and watchmaker Cartier. Mr. De Quercize is currently serving as CEO of fellow Richemont subsidiary Van Cleef & Arpels, and will replace Mr Fornas at the end of the year, when he is due to retire.

Source: Reuters
Joshua Schulman, President, Bergdorf Goodman

Following his departure from Jimmy Choo in late 2011, Joshua Schulman has been named president of U.S. luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman. Prior to his tenure as CEO of Jimmy Choo, Mr. Schulman served as executive vice president at the Gucci Group, where he oversaw worldwide merchandising and wholesale for Yves Saint Laurent, and served as worldwide director of Gucci women’s ready-to-wear.

Source: WWD
Stephan Bezy, General Manager, YSL Beauté

Joining the Management Committee of L’Oreal Luxe, Stephan Bezy has been appointed International General Manager of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté. Mr. Bezy joined L’Oréal in 1991 and has since served as global President at Redken, International General Manager at Shu Uemura and General Manager of Cacharel.

Source: Premium Beauty News
Management Team, Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Starwood has restructured its executive team following the retirement of three senior leaders, Matt Avril, President of the Hotel Group; Denise Coll, President of Starwood North America; and Miguel Ko, Chairman and President of Starwood Asia Pacific.

Currently president and CEO of Starwood Vacation Ownership, Sergio Rivera, has been promoted to co-president of Starwood Americas. Osvaldo Librizzi who assumes primary responsibility for Latin America joins him as co-president of Starwood Americas. Stephen Ho, currently Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Development for Starwood China, has been promoted to President of Asia Pacific. And finally currently head of Starwood’s operations for China, Qian Jin, has been promoted to the title of President of Greater China.

Source: PR Newswire
Vincent Gillet, Brand Chief, W & Le Meridien

Starwood has appointed Vincent Gillet as brand chief for W Hotels and Le Meridien brands, replacing Eva Ziegler. Mr. Gillet has spent the last two decades working on well-known luxury brands for LVMH, Chanel and Pernod Ricard, followed by a three-year tenure as chief marketing officer at Six Senses Resorts & Spas.

Source: USA Today
Eric Langon, Managing Director, Sonia Rykiel

Eric Langdon has been appointed as managing director of Sonia Rykiel effective April 16, where he will report to CEO Jean-Marc Loubier, also CEO of Fung Brands, which acquired an 80 per cent stake in the French fashion house in February. Most recently Mr. Langon served as chief operating officer at Lancel.

Source: WWD
Katrina Burchell, Intellectual Property Director, PPR

Katrina Burchell has been charged with the task of re-organising and monitoring PPR’s Intellectual Property function, joining the French conglomerate as Intellectual Property Director. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Burchell headed the Trademarks, copyrights and domain names at Unilever group.

Source: 4-Traders
Emile Rubenfield, CEO, Carolina Herrera

Emilie Rubinfeld has been appointed vice president of global marketing and communications, in a newly created title at Carolina Herrera. Most recently Ms. Rubinfeld served as senior vice president of marketing and communications at Akris, following tenure as vice president of marketing at Giorgio Armani Corp.

Source: WWD
Jinqing Caroline Cai, Managing Director, Christie’s China

Auction house Christie’s has appointed its first managing director in China, Jinqing Caroline Cai, effective June 1. A founder of the Brunswick Group, a global PR firm in Beijing, Ms. Cai will manage the office and oversee all activities involving the Chinese marketplace.

Source: JustLuxe
Katie Reed, Associate Vice President, Akris

Katie Reed has joined Akris as associate vice president of marketing and communications, following service at Patek Philippe North America, as public relations and communications director. Ms. Reed will oversee all areas of marketing, advertising, public relations and special events in the U.S.

Source: WWD
Kevin Rose, Sales & Marketing Chief, Bentley Motors

As part of a reshuffle of senior marketers within Volkswagen Group UK, Kevin Rose has joined Bentley Motors as its new board level sales and marketing chief, taking over from Alasdair Stewart. Mr. Rose joins from parent group Volkswagen’s China business, where he was executive vice president for sales.

Bentley has also named Andrea Baker as head of media relations, who most recently served as head of public relations with Porsche Cars Great Britain.

Source: Marketing Week
Source: JustLuxe.com
Pascal d’Halluin, CEO, Cacharel

Pascal d’Halluin has been appointed chief executive officer of Cacharel, succeeding managing director Marc Ramanantsoa, effective March 19. Mr. d’Halluin worked with L’Oréal for eight years before taking over as CEO of Lee Cooper France in 1994.

Source: Just Style
Michael Burgess, President, Saks Direct

Saks Inc. has named Michael Burgess president of Saks Direct, reporting to Denise Incandela, executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Mr. Burgess was most recently led merchandising, marketing, consumer information technology and other functions of the consumer division of FTD, the florist, which is owned by United Online Inc.

Source: WWD
Michael Kingston, SVP & CIO, Neiman Marcus

Neiman Marcus Group has named Michael R. Kingston senior vice president and chief information officer, succeeding Phillip Maxwell, who earlier this month announced his retirement. Earlier, Mr. Kingston served as vice president, applications at Coach Inc. and international director of information services at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Source: WWD

For more in the series of The Latest Appointments, please see our most recent editions as follows:

– The Latest Appointments: Givenchy, Jil Sander & Yves Saint Laurent
– The Latest Appointments, Pucci, Tod’s & Girard-Perregaux
– The Latest Appointments, Bulgari, Labelux & Net-a-Porter

© Luxury Society, The Latest Appointments: Cartier, Cacharel & Christian Dior, 17 April 2012, by Sophie Doran. 

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THE TOP 50 MOST-SEARCHED FOR LUXURY BRANDS IN CHINA

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World Luxury Index China – Top 50 Most-Searched For Luxury Brands in China

View more presentations from Digital Luxury Group, DLG SA

Luxury Society and Digital Luxury Group are pleased to launch the World Luxury Index, an international ranking and analysis of the most searched-for brands within the luxury industry.

Created as a way to provide luxury brands with a standardised way of measuring brand interest at an international level, Digital Luxury Group, in partnership with Luxury Society, is pleased to announce the launch of The World Luxury Index, an on-going international ranking and analysis of the most searched-for brands within the luxury industry.

Covering over 400 brands within six key segments (fashion, beauty, jewellery, cars, watches, and hospitality) in ten key luxury markets, the World Luxury Index provides insights on the unbiased search inputs coming from global luxury consumers in the world’s top search engines (Google, Bing, Baidu, Yandex). The result is a one-of-a-kind benchmark of the luxury brands capturing the attention of luxury-minded consumers around the world.

“ The World Luxury Index provides insights on the unbiased search inputs coming from global luxury consumers in the world’s top search engines ”

“This is actually the first time that such powerful, yet seemingly basic, information is being made available,” explains Philippe Barnet, Managing Director, Luxury Society. “But we are excited about the prospect of regularly informing luxury brand executives about the desirability of their brands online, across various categories, geographical markets and even by specific product.”

“For the World Luxury Index China, we’ve looked at over 150 million consumer searches performed in China’s leading search engines, Baidu and Google, and analysed the findings to identify the most-searched luxury brands. In the process we uncovered some fascinating insights,” confirms David Sadigh, CEO and founder of Digital Luxury Group.

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Conducting the report…

With new statistics on the luxury industry in China being shared each day, the time is right for a uniform benchmark. Using DLG’s proprietary technology, DemandTracker™, the World Luxury Index has been created to provide luxury brands with a standardised solution to measure brand interest at an international level.

Our key findings include…

Eighteen out of the top fifty most-searched for luxury brands (36%) in China are automobile brands. Audi is the most-searched, followed by BMW and Mercedes Benz. Audi has long held a privileged spot in China, it’s the official car of the Chinese government.

Chinese brand Chow Tai Fook is the most searched jewellery brand in China, far surpassing 2nd and 3rd ranked brands, Cartier and Swarovski. With a distribution network of over 1,500 locations across 320 cities in China, Hong Kong, and Macau, it’s no surprise that they lead. Cartier can be found in approximately 300 stores.

The top 3 most-searched fashion brands in the ranking, Louis Vuitton (#3), Chanel (#5), and Dior (#8) each lead through different segments. Interest for Dior is specifically related to beauty (and more specifically fragrance) over 80% of the time. For Chanel, beauty represents just fewer than 50%, and fashion and accessories at 40%, while it was noted 94% of searches are fashion/accessory-related for Louis Vuitton

“ Unlike the other parts of the world, Western brands in China often find that the public calls the brand something other than the official name ”

Unlike the other parts of the world, Western brands in China often find that the public calls the brand something other than the official name. This is illustrated by looking at the names used when Chinese search for Burberry:

– 76% by unofficial Chinese name
– 15% by official Chinese name
– 9% by English name

Some brands are more recognized for shortened versions of their official names, where 63% of searches for Louis Vuitton were made using “LV” instead of “Louis Vuitton”.

Other brands have adapted their names to paraphrases instead of using a literal translation of their brand name, to resonate more closely with Chinese consumers. For example, Hermès in Chinese [爱马仕] means “an elegant man who loves horsing” and Land Rover [路虎] means “a tiger on the road.”

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Most surprisingly we found…

The World Luxury Index China revealed several luxury brand success stories. Take Moncler for example, the French fashion brand has been generating a surprisingly high level of interest in China thanks to its sponsorship of a widely watched television program in which the main characters all wore Moncler. This shows how important and influential TV in China can be.

Another really interesting example is Borghese, a beauty brand not particularly well known in the US and Europe is fascinatingly strong in China. Ranked #43, Borghese surpasses other notable beauty brands Benefit and Guerlain. Thanks to its highly regarded facemasks, Borghese, has been the talk of beauty forums and blogs even long before the brand’s official entry into the Chinese market. Here the impact of cult products and beauty forums and blogs is at work.

The full report is available online at: http://www.dlgr.com/chinarank. More detailed data and analysis on a particular segment or brand is available upon request.

For any further enquiries regarding the index or research, please contact Tamar Koifman of Digital Luxury Group, tkoifman@digital-luxury.com.

Digital Luxury Group is the first international company dedicated exclusively to the design and implementation of digital communication strategies for luxury brands, with offices in New York, Geneva and Shanghai.

Luxury Society is the world’s most influential online community of top luxury executives. Based in Paris, with members in more than 150 countries, Luxury Society informs and connects CEOs, managers, journalists, consultants, designers and analysts from across the luxury industry.

© Luxury Society, The Top 50 Most-Searched for Luxury Brands in China, 25 April 2012, by Sophie Duran.

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MEN: THE NEW LUXURY BIG SPENDERS?

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James Lawson, director of Ledbury Research, highlights the promise of luxury for men, but feels that Chinese trends may mask a global shift

Accounting for 40% of global sales, men’s spending on luxury also grew almost twice as fast as women’s in 2011, 14% compared with 8% respectively (Bain). This segment therefore remains heavily in focus by those in the luxury sector, with the likes of Burberry and Coach flagging it as an area of expansion and aiming to join the ranks of menswear veterans Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss and Dunhill.

At Burberry, where menswear and men’s accessories currently represent 27% of sales, the brand is looking to “double sales over time”. Coach has developed a dedicated men’s space at its flagship on Madison Avenue, subsequently leading to a doubling of its men’s sales to 20%.

Luxury giants have also jumped onto the bandwagon: LVMH’s Berluti expanded its niche from luxury footwear to debut its first men’s ready-to-wear collection at Paris Fashion Week in January, while PPR bought Italian suitmaker Brioni in November last year and signalled its faith in the segment’s prospects by announcing an expanded offering as well as new flagship plans for Europe, America, China and the Middle East.

“ Accounting for 40% of global sales, men’s spending on luxury also grew almost twice as fast as women’s in 2011 ”

Alexander McQueen is another brand investing in menswear. The PPR owned house will open a 185sqm dedicated space on London’s Savile Row in September, showcasing both the ready-to-wear collection and Alexander McQueen by Huntsman, a bespoke service announced in January. Prices for the bespoke service will range from £4,500 – £5,000 and the pieces will take about 12 weeks to make.

Creative director, Sarah Burton, said bespoke was a natural progression for the brands menswear offering. “We already offer couture for women, and wanted to add it for men. And our clients were asking for it. With this service we want to give them beautiful, handcrafted clothes, and emphasize artisanal work,” she told WWD.

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Net-a-Porter’s menswear counterpart, Mr Porter, launched in February 2011.

 

Many attribute this growth to China, where men account for over two-thirds (70%) of all luxury sales. This is in part due to the popular gift-giving culture amongst businessmen and government officials. The question, however, is whether this has been overhyped, and if Chinese male appetites for luxury are sustainable in the long term.

Because while China may currently still be dominated by male spending, this appears to be changing: we are seeing Chinese women play an increasing role in wealth creation (see High Net Worth December 2011). The rise of self-purchasing women may soon come to overshadow male demand in China, and cause a shift in the balance of luxury demand between the genders (see Ledbury’s Modern Matriarch Chinese Wealth Segment).

“ Many attribute this growth to China, where men account for over two-thirds (70%) of all luxury sales ”

Despite this, brands are still targeting men, the new big luxury spenders. This is partly due to the globally shifting attitudes. Traditionally male spend has been impacted faster and harder by the downturn, but men are now becoming more discerning.

Net -a-Porter’s Mr. Porter (since February 2011), Gilt Groupe’s GiltMAN (October 2009) and the latter’s full-price men’s site Park & Bond (August 2011) have not only tapped into the relatively underpenetrated online space in menswear, they have also recognized the change in the shopping habits of today’s men and have invested heavily in their editorial content.

Park & Bond, a partnership with GQ magazine, offers advice and how-tos, buying guides, and even free personal shopper assistance on their website to “find your own personal style”. As a further sign of male demand, Gilt has invested in a full-price men’s site before that for women, indicating the large potential in online male luxury spend.

The above is based on a collection of insights taken from Ledbury Research’s flagship publication High Net Worth. For more information please visit this link.

Ledbury Research is a research company specialising in the understanding and engaging of High Net Worth Individuals.

Bespoke consumer work spans all forms of quantitative and qualitative research, typically conducted on a multi-country basis, in wealth hubs around the world.

The analyst team delivers market information, trends and analysis through regular reports on the luxury and wealth markets.

© Luxury Society, Men: The New Luxury Big Spenders?, 10 April 2012, by James Lawson.

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AFFLUENT U.S. CONSUMERS FAVOUR LUXURY BRANDS WITH APPS

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The Luxury Institute and Plastic Mobile explain why wealthy U.S. consumers favour and feel more connected to luxury brands offering an app

New York City based Luxury Institute, in cooperation with award-winning mobile marketing agency Plastic Mobile, surveyed affluent U.S. consumers about the growing connection between luxury and the emerging mobile market. The results of their research have just been released in the study, “Mobile Apps And Commerce for Luxury Brands.”

“Luxury brands must acknowledge the impact of technology advancements in the mobile space and find a humanistic way to connect and engage with their consumers through mobile,” says Milton Pedraza, CEO of Luxury Institute.

“ Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue & Gilt Groupe are the most frequently downloaded apps by wealthy consumers ”

Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue and Gilt Groupe are the most frequently downloaded apps by wealthy consumers who have luxury brand applications on their mobile device. Most affluent smartphone owners who are downloading luxury apps are using them to find information on products, services or brands (56%).

Almost all wealthy consumers who have used luxury brand apps report that they have had a good experience with the mobile apps (93%). In addition, 71% report that they feel better connected to luxury brands after downloading and/or using their applications and 64% view luxury brands that offer a mobile application more favorably than brands that do not.

The survey respondents indicate there are a number of features they expect from luxury brand applications and highlight loyalty programs (46%) and early access to sales (45%) as the most important. In addition, providing sales professionals with a mobile application that can specify details about products (53%), have the ability to check for sizes and availability at other stores (50%) and in-store product inventory (47%) would enrich the luxury shopping experience for affluent consumers.

“ 72% of luxury consumers who choose to shop via mobile report that there is no upper monetary limit to how much they would spend ”

Of the 63% of wealthy consumers who have made a purchase through their mobile device, just under 20% have bought a luxury product or service. While preference for the in-store experience (45%) is why wealthy smartphone users have not yet fully embraced luxury mobile commerce, the majority of luxury consumers who choose to shop via mobile report that there is no upper monetary limit to how much they would spend (72%). This indicates a tremendous emerging opportunity for luxury brands to connect with consumers through mobile.

“Mobile has been receiving a lot attention in the retail space lately. The study suggests the mobile strategy for luxury brands must be about enhancing the in-store customer experience and using the platform to help strengthen customer relationships,” says Melody Adhami, President and COO of Plastic Mobile.

To further investigate Mobile and Digital Communications on Luxury Society, we invite your to explore the related materials as follows:

– An interview with Jerome Allien, founder of Boom Mobile
– How To Customise Social Media Strategy for Europe
– What Pinterest Means For Luxury Brands

The Luxury Institute is an independent and impartial ratings and research institution. The Institute conducts extensive and actionable research with wealthy consumers about their behaviours and attitudes on customer experience best practices.

Plastic Mobile is an award-winning mobile marketing agency of thinkers, artists, creators and builders who create extraordinary user experiences. Known for a number of quality, first-in-kind mobile initiatives, Plastic Mobile delivers exceptional client service and highly customized mobile solutions for all platforms.

© Luxury Society, Affluent U.S. Consumers Favour Luxury Brands with Apps, 27 April 2012, by Meera Raja.

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LUXURY PROPERTY DEMAND OUTSTRIPS SUPPLY IN LONDON & MANHATTAN

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Located on a Penthouse floor in the Time Warner Center, this Manhattan property is listed with Sotheby’s for $60 million.

Looming economic uncertainty seems not to be affecting the high end property markets of London and Manhattan, instead the wealthy can’t seem to find enough property to buy

A “herd-like mentality” is said to have spurred luxury property buyers in the past several quarters, as the wealthy once again enthusiastically invest in hotspots like London and Manhattan. Despite forecasted economic storms and the liberal use of the words ‘debt’ and ‘crisis’, both locations are currently enjoying such a boom at the high end of the market, that demand has outstripped supply.

According to real-estate broker Savills Plc., the number of London houses and apartments that sold for more than 5 million pounds rose 31 percent to 262 in the nine months through September. Over in Manhattan, the supply of apartments for sale over 5 million dollars, reached the lowest level for an October since 2007. As Shari Scharfer-Rollins, SVP at the Corcoran Group brokerage puts it: “Inventory is down and demand is up.”

Christie’s recent State of the International Luxury Market report suggested that scarcity of property was driving up luxury real estate prices, particularly in top cities such as London, Paris, Hong Kong, New York and Beverley Hills. The report also went on to muse that sellers worldwide have adapted to a new reality in luxury housing and are beginning to accept that their residence is not going to command the same price that it might have in 2007.

“Market activity and optimism increased throughout 2011. Inventory is down and demand is up.”

Resultantly, market activity and optimism increased throughout 2011. Christie’s went so far as to identify ‘a lack of quality housing inventory’ as the biggest challenge markets were to face in the coming months. A sentiment this week echoed by Jason Haber, CEO of New York real estate broker Rubicon.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Mr. Haber revealed that his agents were now cold-mailing townhouse owners around New York City, to see if anyone might consider selling. “That’s not something you would do if the market was flush with high-end inventory,” he said of the strategy. “That’s a sign of the times. This is a ready, willing and able buyer and we can’t find the product for him.”

In London – albeit for varying reasons – luxury homebuyers are having similar troubles. The locals especially, following news that of the number of London houses and apartments that sold for more than 5 million pounds, overseas buyers comprised 65 percent. Knight Frank identified wealthy southern Europeans as buyers of properties worth at least 1 million pounds in London’s well to do Chelsea and South Kensington, generally as pure investments, second homes, or accommodation for children studying at university.

“This is a sign of the times. We have a ready, willing and able buyer and we can’t find the product for him.”

Investments identified as particularly timely by Philip Beresford, compiler of London’s Estates Gazette Rich list. “London is doing well on the back of the luxury market as the world’s billionaires flood in, either as investors in the property market or buyers of top end properties as bolt holes in these very uncertain times,” he revealed to Reuters.

Particular interest has been noted from Italy, Greece and Spain, where the wealthy are said to be attracted by the security and stability of the London property market, as well as liquidity and well-kept property registers. “We’ve got Italian and Greek buyers who have confirmed that view … They want to have money in a safe haven, preferably not a bank, or stocks because it is too volatile,” remarked Nick Candy, development manager and designer of One Hyde Park.

The 1 billion pound development is home to apartments ranging from £7 – £136 million pounds each, which are according to Mr. Candy, attracting interest from buyers currently experiencing instability in home markets. “We have a lot of viewings going on from any country that has got economic or political turmoil,” he told Reuters.

“ The dollar is weak and foreign buyers find that they can get more in New York City as an investment than they used to be able to ”

And then there is the issue of currency. Property agency Knight Frank recently revealed research suggesting that Chinese buyers benefited from a 24 percent purchasing power discount based on the Yuan-sterling forex rate between the peak of the prime London housing market in March 2008 and October 2011.

Chinese luxury home buyers were said to be leading a legion of “cash-rich non-UK investors” in search of upmarket London homes, with demand driven by currency exchange rates that produce discounts of up to a quarter on purchase prices. A similar tale unfolds across the pond in Manhattan, as Ms. Scharfer-Rollins confirms: “The dollar is weak and I think foreign buyers find that they can get more in New York City as an investment than they used to be able to.”

© Luxury Society, Luxury Property Demand Outstrips Supply in London & Manhattan, 21 November 2011, by Sophie Duran.

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A NEW WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY FOR LUXURY BRANDS IN INDIA?

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Hermès Horniman Circle, Mumbai, India’s only stand-alone, street level luxury retail store.

India has passed legislation allowing 100% foreign direct investment in retail stores for the first time. But given its complex landscape, is one change significant enough to start a revolution?

Following two years worth of intense political debate, India’s union cabinet has agreed to allow 51 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand and 100 percent FDI in monobrand retail. In layman’s terms, luxury brands are finally able to open directly owned, operated and controlled boutiques, in one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

An economy that has produced more than 200,000 millionaires, trailing only the United States and China, according to Reuters. Despite such affluence, the region only accounts for only half a percent of the global luxury market ($846 million), as compared to Greater China, which accounts for 10 percent of the very same pie ($17 billion).

India is without one single Tiffany & Co store. Louis Vuitton – an arguable benchmark in the case of luxury retail – has only three stores in India, all three of which are located within upscale hotels or luxury malls. Hermès is currently the only luxury brand in the country to have a stand-alone store at street level, following this year’s opening in Horniman Circle, Mumbai.

“ The complexity of India’s luxury retail landscape makes it difficult to predict whether or not this change in ownership legislation will have a rapid impact on store openings ”

The complexity of India’s luxury retail landscape makes it difficult to predict whether or not this change in ownership legislation will have a rapid impact on store openings. Product import duties in India hover at 30 percent, real estate is heavily regulated, existing retail infrastructure is non-existent and potential street-level environments are often unkempt. Challenges not addressed by the sudden ability to set-up company owned shops.

“The challenge is infrastructure. Luxury requires an ecosystem,” identified Anand Ramanathan, manager at KPMG Advisory. “It’s pointless having a luxury mall on a road that is potholed. Even the so-called ‘luxury malls’ in India are not really luxury. They have issues with basic infrastructure, with training of staff, it’s just not a luxury experience.”

Further inhibiting the potential for change are the behaviours of Indian luxury consumers, which are not necessarily geared to support local retail. India’s affluent have developed a habit of purchasing goods overseas, where they find the selection more diverse and the costs significantly lower, as a direct result of the underdeveloped state of domestic luxury retail.

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Hermès have begun to manufacture Saris in Paris, available exclusively in its Indian stores.

As business in domestic stores remains slow, buying becomes cautious and ranges become limited. Particularly ironic as it then further inhibits the potential for growing local sales. And range is always going to be a sticking point for luxury brands, as the Indian consumer demonstrates significant disparity in taste, to those consumers in the west, meaning that products that work in Paris, won’t necessarily work in Pune.

The last landmark change in legislation was passed in 2006, allowing 51 percent FDI in single brand retail and resulting in the entry of more than 50 global brands with local partners in India, according to WWD. It will be interesting to see if last week’s announcement rallies the same level of interest and activity from international luxury brands, given the array of challenges market entrants will still face.

That said, it seems entirely plausible that these factors can be overcome – or at the very least managed – in the future. Luxury conglomerates now have a much greater scope to create their own retail destinations in India and begin to plant the seeds of desire, which will hopefully result in the next generation of affluents aspiring to buy their products.

If brands move towards directly owned and operated stores, they will begin to increase their internal understanding of complex real estate regulations and position themselves more strongly for future expansion. The creation of luxury retail precincts and street-level destinations – driven by a potential alliance of luxury brands entering the market independently – could help to solve problems associated with a lack of eco-system and help to create the correct environment in which Indians can experience true luxury.

“ It’s difficult, it’s frustrating, to do business here. Real estate regulations, bureaucracy, it takes years to set up office – Bertrand Michaud, Hermès India ”

The local market will benefit from brands commanding a more intimate understanding of local retail and developing both marketing and products to best suit the region. With any luck, consumers will also benefit from more competitive pricing and a diverse range of goods and services.

Speaking with Reuters at the time of the Mumbai launch, president of Hermès India, Bertrand Michaud, made the remark: “It’s difficult, it’s frustrating, to do business here. Real estate regulations, bureaucracy, it takes years to set up office, the goods sit at customs for months. I wish they would make it easier.”

And whilst the bureaucracy and taxes may remain, India may be that one crucial step closer to ‘making it easier’ for luxury brands to invest in real estate and be present in a market rife with opportunity, without ceding control of brand image and operations to distribution partners. Maybe, just maybe, this change and its resulting developments, will ignite a system of functionality and demand for luxury goods, reflective of India’s exponentially growing wealth.

© Luxury Society, A New Wave of Opportunity for Luxury Brands in India?, 28 November 2011, by Sophie Duran.

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THE MIXED PERFORMANCE OF LUXURY IN 2011

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James Lawson, director of Ledbury Research, shares the key market insights that characterised the luxury industry in 2011.

The Story So Far

Following strong performance in 2010, luxury momentum was sustained throughout the first half of 2011. Growth forecasts remain in double digits going into 2012 – Ledbury forecasts growth at 16% for 2011 and a 11% for next year. That said, greater caution is advised in the short-term, as certain segments still have some way to go, before demand fully recovers from the effects of the economic crisis.

Using the year-on-year quarterly figures of the key segments of the luxury industry, we can see that luxury has been in positive terrain since the start of 2010. Particularly strong results in 2010 made for more challenging comparables, however, performance has held up relatively well, with double-digit growth for the first two quarters of 2011.

Asia has been central to this growth, however other regions – such as South America – have also emerged this year as promising markets for luxury. Europe and the US, while still not fully recovered, are expanding again and the Middle East also showed positive movement over the period. Notably, Japan withstood the effects of the March earthquake better than expected and posted growth, following several consecutive years of contraction.

“ Going forward, luxury executives are upbeat about performance and it is anticipated that China will continue to drive this ”

Looking to the Future

Going forward, luxury executives are upbeat about performance and it is anticipated that China will continue to drive this. Separately , research undertaken by Bain & Co and Altagamma, suggests that the global luxury market will expand to €191 bn in 2011 – up from €173 bn in 2010 – and mark the second consecutive year of double-digit growth for the luxury industry.

Regionally, Europe currently accounts for the largest share overall (37%), however this will shrink due to rapid growth in Asia-Pacific, which currently holds 17% of the market. China (€9.6 bn) is now bigger than that in the UK (€9.0 bn) and is being driven by demand for luxury cars, hotels and, personal luxury. China will grow to €12.9 bn by the end of the year. Brazil meanwhile, is a small (€1.9 bn) market, and is forecast to increase to €2.3 bn by the end of the year. Luxury demand there will be characterised by demand for fine wines.

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A Star Performer: Swiss Timepieces

Demand for Swiss watches recorded strong growth (22%) in 2010, following significant declines in 2009 (-22%). The resurgence in watch consumption was driven by Asia, where luxury watches are frequently bought as gifts. In total, the region accounted for more than half (53%) of global demand, and registered a 35% uptick on demand in 2009 (FHS). In addition, the average Asian consumer purchased more expensive watches than their counterparts in Europe and the US (FHS).

Growth in Europe (10%) and America (15%) was positive, however, sales in Europe have not yet returned to pre-crisis levels. Further, 2009 saw a 36% contraction in American sales, thereby making for a relatively easier base for comparison in 2010. That said, luxury watches are expected to sustain this momentum in the near future and indeed pegged to be one of the star performers of 2011. Many luxury brands are expanding into this segment as a result.

“ The average Asian consumer purchased more expensive watches than their counterparts in Europe and the US ”

Challenges Ahead: Yachts

Sadly, the same levels of performance optimism cannot be seen in the case of Yachts, with sales expected to fall again this year – albeit to a much lesser extent than in 2010.

The declines of the past 2 years are largely attributable to a fall-off in demand from the US, which has historically been the biggest market in regional terms, and also Europe where there has long been a tradition of yachting. Demand is not expected to pick up in either market again until there is more economic certainty.

Another compounding factor in the yachting industry is that, unlike many other luxury segments, where Chinese demand has cushioned the fall in demand from the West, yachting in China is still in its infancy. Currently, there is no culture of yachting in China, and it is mainly the Hong Kong Chinese who enjoy the past time. This is expected to change, and the past two years has seen several Chinese yachting brands launch to cater to domestic demand.

The above is a collection of insights taken from Ledbury Research’s flagship publication High Net Worth. For more information please visit this link.

© Luxury Society, The Mixed Performance of Luxury in 2011 by James Lawson.

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