Retail


Retail

Bigger, better, stronger

REPORT

By Serge Maillard
April 2022


Bigger, better, stronger

Discover our report on the emergence of “super-retailers”.

A

n avalanche of acquisitions has shaken the global landscape of watch retail over recent years. In the face of the growing willingness of brands to open and manage their own boutiques, the inevitable concentration has favoured the emergence of “super-retailers” that have the capacity to interact on an equal footing with watch brands. A reaction that shows that traditional retail is far from dead.

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Bigger, better, stronger


WATCH FILES
Retail  

Ocarat: the French retailer with 180 brands

June 2024
Its catalogue reads like a who’s who of affordable contemporary watchmaking, from established names to startups and micro-labels. As well as making 99% of (...)

Rolex and Bucherer: a shared history

August 2023
The recent announcement of Rolex’s acquisition of prestigious watch and jewellery retailer Bucherer marks the culmination of nearly a century of shared (...)

Watch Q&A with... Nicolas Hildenbrand – Watchdreamer

juin 2023
“We still see enormous potential in online retail in Switzerland”

Watch Q&A with... Jared Silver – Stephen Silver

June 2023
“The most important project in which our company has ever engaged”

Watch Q&A with... Raphael Gübelin – Gübelin

June 2023
“We expect an increase in tourism this year in Lucerne, a positive signal for the watch business”

Watch Q&A with... Brian Duffy – Watches Of Switzerland

June 2023
“Extending market presence both in the UK and internationally”

Yourasset paves the way for accessible watch financing

May 2023
Swiss startup Yourasset has set up a digital platform to serve as an intermediary between retailers and customers, offering a financing payment solution in (...)

Concentration continues in watch distribution

MARKETS

January 2023
A distribution strategy that emphasises monobrand stores is benefitting a small number of powerful retailers with the necessary logistical and financial (...)

A retailer provides free parking to an entire town

PORTRAIT

January 2023
Ahee Jewelers, a multi-generational retailer based near Detroit in the United States, decided to offer free parking for two months to residents of its (...)

Lucerne: why Gübelin is joining forces with TimeVallée

November 2022
The mid-sized traditional Lucerne retailer, which enjoys a well-established reputation but lacks the critical mass of the watch distribution giants, has (...)

Watches of Switzerland goes on the offensive in Europe

RETAIL

August 2022
British retail giant Watches of Switzerland, already well established in the United Kingdom and currently enjoying strong expansion in the United States, (...)

Beyer Chronometrie: deep roots and NFTs

COUNTERPOINT

April 2022
Despite numerous requests to do so, the world’s oldest watch retailer has always refused to open any points of sale outside its original stronghold in (...)

“Continuing to set the standard in our region”

3 QUESTIONS FOR...

April 2022
Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, Chief Commercial Officer, Seddiqi Holding

“Brick-and-mortar remains our most dynamic activity”

3 QUESTIONS FOR...

April 2022
Anthony Tsang, Senior Marketing Manager Greater China Region, Oriental Watch Company

Super-Retail: the race for global dominance

REPORT

April 2022
An increasing number of retailers are moving out of their home markets and successfully establishing themselves in other parts of the world. This (...)

Watches of Switzerland, a “super retailer” in the making

INTERVIEW

January 2022
Operating from its British stronghold and publicly listed since 2019, Watches of Switzerland has massively expanded its footprint in both the UK and the (...)

What does the future hold for independent distributors?

REPORT

July 2021
In this special report, consultant and cofounder of the Watch Distributors Directory Thierry Huron shares his latest findings and data on the changing (...)

The resilience of in-house jewellery for retailers

INTERVIEW

March 2021
For decades, family-owned London Jewelers has represented prestigious brands on Long Island. In the midst of the pandemic, the retailer renovated its (...)

Bucherer BLUE: “Bringing exclusivity back to retailers”

INTERVIEW

March 2021
More and more brands are reserving their most sought-after models for their own shops, which is causing increasing difficulties for multi-brand retailers. (...)

Watch retailers: strategies for dealing with the pandemic

REPORT

December 2020
With international travel halted, the absence of tourist customers has been keenly felt by the watch retail trade. Without this category of buyers, many (...)

An app to regain control over watch distribution

SELLING WATCHES

October 2020
A new word, promising if not exactly elegant, has made its way into the horological lexicon in 2020: “phygital”. Thomas Baillod is among those who have (...)

The watch retailer of the tech entrepreneurs

IN THE SILICON VALLEY

January 2020
“The watch culture is very strong here, and we are really just scratching the surface of it as a retailer,” says Jared Silver, who represents the most (...)
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“Sell-out has been declining since the start of 2019”

WATCH INDUSTRY

May 2019
The monthly sell-out index, compiled by consultant Thierry Huron, reveals that watch sales are in a fragile state of health. In the first quarter, the (...)

The case against flagship stores

OPINION

December 2018
Of course, Apple is very successful at running their own stores. However this does not mean that every other brand, even a close competitor like Samsung, (...)
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Pure Play or Pure Pain?

THE MYTHS OF COMMERCE (PART 2/5)

September 2018
In part 1 of my essay, I might have had you believe that I do not like e-commerce!? Just to be clear…Everybody who has something for sale should consider an (...)

The end of the “regular” retailer

12 DISRUPTIONS IN THE WATCHMAKING INDUSTRY

April 2018
Bucherer’s acquisition of Tourneau is the latest sign to date of a consolidation in distribution, a move towards becoming more powerful in negotiations with (...)

From retail to e-tail

WATCHWORDS

December 2017
The English word “retail” has come a long way from its first recorded use, sometime in the 14th century. It comes from the Old French verb retaillier which (...)

Les Ambassadeurs: the “doors” concept

RETAIL

November 2017
“From the beginning we had a very clear strategy and positioning as a multibrand retailer."

“The enemy we have to beat is the online grey market”

RETAIL REPORT

November 2017
“It’s crucial to go digital, and the watch brands have to start engaging with it now or things are going to get very complicated." sinon cela va devenir (...)
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Getting future watch distribution right – the fate of an industry

SCENARIOS

October 2017
Statements by industry professionals made some 15 years ago reveal that even experts had only a vague idea about what watch distribution would look like (...)
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Brick-and-Click Watch Retailing

EDITORIAL

October 2017
Once upon a time, things were simpler. A watchmaker would find an agent for each country. That agent had representatives who would pack their watch samples (...)

“A garden of tranquillity in contrast with the digital jungle”

BRICK & CLICK / GERMANY

October 2017
“Faced with chains, supermarkets and mono- brand boutiques, a good number of traditional family boutiques have closed. And this concentration of the market (...)

“We are a service company, not a supermarket”

BRICK & CLICK

October 2017
A testimonial by Pablo Fuster, Relojería Alemana, in Mallorca (Spain).

“Reinventing yourself as a concept watch store”

BRICK & CLICK / SWITZERLAND

October 2017
“We’ve been a family business for fifty years. Besides the boutique, 35 years ago we took over a vintage watch shop called Au Vieil (...)

“Necessity is the mother of invention!”

BRICK & CLICK / BELGIUM

October 2017
"We’re two associates and we launched our multi-brand boutique fairly recently, in 2009. And in the summer of 2017, we also opened the Rolex boutique in (...)

“We believe in the strength of omnichannel”

BRICK & CLICK / NETHERLANDS

October 2017
“We come from the diamond sector, where our father already worked. And even today, our turnover is still fairly evenly balanced between jewellery and (...)

“Why would the customer want to buy this product from me?”

BRICK & CLICK / SWITZERLAND

October 2017
"2017 started quite well in comparison to last year. We have many more guests from abroad back in Lucerne."

“Seeing with their own eyes”

BRICK & CLICK / JAPAN

October 2017
"2016 was a difficult year. In reaction, we increased our appeal to new customers by launching a website dedicated to watchmaking."

“Brands must limit production, control supply and stabilise pricing”

BRICK & CLICK / AUSTRALIA

October 2017
“2016 was certainly a challenging year for retail. The increase in grey market activity and the aggressive pricing stemming from product dumping resulting (...)

“Consumers are looking for an experience, online or offline”

BRICK & CLICK / PORTUGAL

October 2017
“The Portuguese market still outperforms the global current trend."

“A more direct distribution structure needs to happen”

BRICK & CLICK

October 2017
“We set up an online shop-front for each brand on Skolorr, once they have been vetted and approved as a partner (to ensure trust, credibility, quality, (...)
Europa Star

Points of sales online engagement in 2017

BRICK & CLICK

October 2017
Digital media are playing an increasingly important role in the purchasing process for luxury products in general, and watchmaking and jewellery in (...)

Business climate, competition and the digital future

THE HOUR GLASS

October 2017
The Hour Glass is present in the markets of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. In 2016, in most of these markets, the watch (...)

“Retailers must transform themselves into showrooms”

BRICK & CLICK

October 2017
“Today, retailers are coming under enormous pressure. Consumer behaviour is changing rapidly."

The last of the Mohicans: the outrage of a small retailer

PORTRAIT

October 2017
As part of our wide-ranging survey on the state of watch retail worldwide, we spoke with many retailers, both multi-brand and independent, as well as (...)

“We’re multi-brand and we still firmly believe in that model”

BRICK & CLICK / ITALY

October 2017
“We have a main Flagship Store in Milan, still run by the founding family. We also operate the Rolex and the renewed Patek Philippe boutiques (...)
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Of bricks and paper, clicks and storms

EDITORIAL

October 2017
As a reading of this issue’s substantial “Brick & Click” dossier will reveal, watch retail is truly in the doldrums – or, more accurately, in total (...)

“Retailers need to turn into gallery owners”

OPINION

May 2017
“Retailers need to turn into gallery owners”: François-Xavier Mousin and Caroline Buechler (who worked for Swiss retailer Les Ambassadeurs and now head up (...)

“I wanted to sell watches, not prices”

DENIS ASCH

January 2017
Comments by Denis Asch, watch expert and former retailer who closed his shop rather than change profession.
Europa Star

A paradigm shift for distribution

MARKETS

January 2017
Wildly fluctuating exchange rates, the price slump, volatile customers, accumulating stocks, discount, competition from smartwatches, the grey market, the (...)
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