The booming sales of luxury brands in the years leading up to 2008, were much attributed to the aspirational consumers, defined as those who would buy on a loyal basis products from so-called ''second lines'' or ''diffusion lines''. Those were the success years of brands such as D&G, EMPORIO ARMANI, JUST CAVALLI etc. The international crisis has brought about lower sales of these lines, in ... read more

World's largest luxury groups announced last week better than expected results, most of them posting double digit growth. The best results were registered by LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton and Dior, followed by Gucci Group and Richemont. From a geographical perspective, US, Japan and Western Europe have produced less favourable results with modest increases in sales, at ... read more

The French branch of Jones Lang Lasalle Hotels predicts that the capacity of luxury hotels in Paris will increase by 70% in the next two years, from the current capacity of 1150 rooms. The major players of palace luxury hotels currently in Paris are George V, Ritz, Plaza Athenee, Le Bristol, Fouquet's, Le Crillon, Le Meurice. Of the existing hotels, only some of them have resorted to ... read more

A recent survey conducted by CPP Luxury Industry Consultants Ltd among the leading travel agencies in four Eastern European countries revealed important new trends in luxury travel. The survey was conducted in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine during the month of May. Among the most important findings are the change of destination for the two main yearly holidays and downgrading on hotels during ... read more

For long, one of the main reasons luxury brands would postpone their launch of online sales was their relationship with department stores and large wholesale clients for fear of an uneven competition. Then, after the debut of the financial crisis, most department store chains were forced to drastically reduce prices which translated into ... read more

The international financial crisis which is far from over in most parts of the world is set to have diverse lasting effects on fashion retail. Long considered mid range, brands such as LACOSTE, TOMMY HILFIGER, GUESS, CALVIN KLEIN, GANT or MASSIMO DUTTI are more and more regarded as premium brands and this is the case especially in emerging markets where consumers are constantly ... read more

Luxury hotel chain Mandarin Oriental is planning on almost doubling its international presence in the next three years. The hotel investment and management group will grow from about 24 deluxe hotels and resorts currently, to about 42 in the next 36 months,  Jill Kluge, group director of brand communications told Reuters at a media luncheon in New York.  The group also confirmed ... read more

The notoriety of a luxury brand does no longer suffice for the evolving consumer base in major emerging markets such as China. As they travel internationally, more and more Abroad, Chinese consumers have become familiar with Western standard of customer service which they do not always find in the local stores of the same brands. That is why, it is essential that luxury ... read more

CPP Luxury Industry Management Consultants Ltd reports a drop of 25% in the Romanian luxury market in the first trimester of 2010, with the most affected sectors being: auto, boats, jewellery, fashion and travel. The segments that have registered lower drops are: hospitality, accessories, perfumes, watches, SPA and gourmet/organic. The drops are due to a number of factors:   - the decrease ... read more

BUSINESS OF LUXURY has recently interviewed Mr Greg Dogan, President and CEO of SHANGRI LA Hotels. He speaks about the secret behind the success of the brand, the new advertising campaign and the future expansion plans. What is the secret behind the leading position of Shangri La on the worlwide luxury hospitality market? Can we say there is a ‘’Shangri La ... read more

One of the main ideas we have been insisting is that luxury brands should not consider social media as an end, but on the contrary, as a tool that is fully included into the global strategy of the brand. Social media is a deep evolution translating the changes happening in our societies. It is a social phenomenon and at the same time, it is just a communication tool. So how luxury brands should try to deal with ... read more

Consumers of luxury products and services, especially in emerging markets, are becoming increasingly selective in how they allocate their spending budgets. They not only spend less but are also becoming more aware of the price / quality ratio. Another important defining criteria in purchases of luxury goods is the investment aspect of the product. Consumers are looking at non seasonal and ... read more

End of February 2010 has marked the first signs of recovery at most international luxury hotel chains, as reflected in improving occupancy rates and demand. However, the recovery process has been slow and hoteliers do no longer expect to return to the performances registered prior to the debut of the international crisis. Properties in the main capital cities such as London, New York, Milan, Paris and ... read more

CPP-LUXURY.COM has recently interviewed Daniel Rosner, the Managing Director of ALSA GROUP, one of the pioneers of luxury fashion and accessories retail in Eastern Europe.   CPP: What is the most important feature of a successful luxury fashion brand nowadays?

DR: It is my belief that the positioning, diversity and coherence are the key ingredients. The lines that used to ... read more

Hermes, Tod's, Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Bottega Veneta have been making headlines for the past 10 months, standing out as among the few international luxury brands to register positive results during the unfolding international financial crisis. The secret behind their success ? - focusing on heritage and exceptional cratfsmanship, without compromising on quality. Another key to ... read more

Many leading international luxury hotels, especially historical and heritage locations, have been failing to adapt to the current needs and demands of today's ''turbine'' economy. A decade ago, they were the last luxury hotels to realize the importance of the internet and the modern ways of ... read more

France and Italy currently rank 9th and 10th respectively, in the top of international investor countries in India, behind major investors such as Mauritius, Japan,United States and Singapore. Most of the Italian and French investments investments are focused on FMCG, luxury industry registering insignificant figures. Most of the major international luxury brands in fashion/accessories, watches ... read more

Following our recent luxury market report on Lebanon, the first such report, we have identified several important issues which any luxury brand, irrespective of the sector, should take into consideration when expanding into Lebanon. Nowadays, fashion retail is the most developed luxury sector in Lebanon, with almost all major international luxury brands having a ... read more

Steve Jobs is not only one of the very few true innovators on a worlwide scale, but also a innate visionary and marketer. Every single product he created has revolutionized the way consumers perceive them. All Apple products are stylish, easy to use and very portable. For instance, the newly launched IPAD leaves no room for any tablet PC's, regardless of their manufacturer and type. It is a personal ... read more

Robert Polet, the head of GUCCI GROUP, the third largest international luxury group, spoke about the international expansion of his group which relies heavily on the emerging markets. He advised that over 60% of the investments of his group are now focused on emerging markets, which account for 32,9% of all international sales (in 2009). Mr Polet indicated China as being a crucial market for Gucci Group ... read more