German premium brand ESCADA inaugurated last week its mono-brand store in the Romanian ...
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Prada opened last week two stand alone stores, marking the official entry on the Moroccan ...
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French luxury group PPR, parent company of Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron has teamed up ...
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French luxury maison Chanel announced the opening of its 6th store in Australia, in the ...
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Italian luxury group TOD'S which includes the Tod's, Hogan, Fay and Roger Vivier brands, ...
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The biggest rally in three years for luxury-goods makers in Europe is fizzling on concern ...
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The potential of grown aromatherapy flowers in luxury hotel rooms
05 July 2010
For the past ten years less and less hotels are placing fresh flowers in rooms, setting up a single arrangement in the hotel lobby. Even these arrangements have now been ''cut'' by the crisis and pot flowers with a longer life have replaced the fresh flowers. There are also the landmark exceptions such as the Four Seasons George V in Paris, the Four Seasons at the Bosphorus in Istanbul and the recently ... read more
Syria's retail sector grows amid increasing demand and its luxury market makes significant advances
21 June 2010
General RETAIL
A burgeoning middle class, strong economic growth and the positive effects of market liberalisation are combining to create a retail renaissance in urban Syria, prompting a flood of foreign brands and overseas investment to the country. The latest predictions from the Central Bank forecast growth for Syria's economy at a robust 5% this year, up from 4% in 2009. ... read more
MOROCCO, one of the most dynamic luxury emerging markets
07 June 2010
Thanks to its strategic geographical position and cheap quality workforce, Morocco has been attracting constantly growing foreign investments, especially in its industry, agriculture and tourism. Auto and textile production have been two of the most dynamic sectors, with companies such as Renault and Inditex ... read more
Mr. CAP - the pampering your luxury car needs
20 May 2010
It is no longer a mystery that owning a car dealership is one of the most profitable businesses in the auto sector. And should you opt for luxury car brands such as Bentley, Ferrari or Maserati, your business can only flourish if it has the right environment. There are many rich people who want to (re)affirm their status between their peers or in society in general, by purchasing what some might call a ... read more
Can downgrading save luxury hotels?
16 May 2010
The announcements earlier this year of Hilton and InterContinental hotels in Vienna (Austria) that they were looking to downgrade from five to four stars have been met with mixed reactions. The news was like a breath of air for the hotel owners, who would no longer have to submit to the continuous pressure of the hotel chains for renovation and refurbishment investments. Mention should be made that both ... read more
Premium natural aromatherapy brands are on the rise worldwide
24 April 2010
Akhassa,Aromatherapy Associates, Russie Blanche, Caudalie and Tisserand are among the most successful premium natural cosmetics brands in the world. Most of them relying on sales as exclusive amenities by top luxury hotels, they have registered a remarkable evolution in the past decade, defying the international ... read more
Despite many difficulties, Syria's economy is blossoming, luxury being one of the most promissing sectors
14 April 2010
Known throughout its eventful history as ''the garden of earth'', world famous for its jasmine (jouri) and the Damascene rose, the Syrian capital of Damascus is nowadays blossoming. The international flower exhibition is just one of the many attractions of Damascus, which is gradually claiming back its remarkable ... read more
BEIRUT, the one and only Paris of the Middle East
01 April 2010
As Melik Kaylan, a fine contributor to The Wall Street Journal wrote in one of his articles on Beirut, ‘’the Lebanese should be protected by the U.N as international cultural treasures’’, Lebanon is indeed a very special place to live, work, play and simply enjoy life in very comfortable, stylish and sometimes even dangerous way.
Lebanese men and ... read more
How to learn about wine from a cosmetics brand
19 March 2010
Having been a long time loyal consumer, first of LA PRAIRIE for more than 10 years and then of KANEBO for 3 years, on Valentine’s 2010 I made myself a gift and bought for the very first time, CAUDALIE. I had heard of the brand in while in New York a year ago when a good friend provided me with a very interesting review of this French brand which she discovered at the new SPA of the legendary PLAZA ... read more
ULYSSE NARDIN launches revolutionary luxury mobile phone
11 March 2010
''The Chairman'' is the world’s first luxury hybrid smart phone produced under the marquis partnership between Ulysse Nardin, an industry leader in mechanical timepieces, and SCI Innovations, a pioneer in hybrid cell phone technology. A fusion between the historical, mechanical art of watch-making with modern technology, the Chairman revolutionizes the luxury mobile phone ... read more
Small luxury brands flourish during crisis
09 March 2010
GOYARD, ASPREY and BERLUTI are just three of the leading small luxury brands which are likely to take advantage of the current crisis which has made luxury consumers not only more price sensitive but also more attentive and selective when it comes to quality of manufacturing and raw materials. French luxury brand GOYARD which specializes in luxury hand made leather bags and accessories has ... read more
Romanian cinema triumphs once again at BERLIN film festival
22 February 2010
International media has applauded the first prize won by Romanian young director Florin Serban at BERLIN Film Festival with his movie ''When I want to whistle, I whistle''. UK's The Guardian daily has called the movie a ''work of art'' and other media cites the series of successes registered by what they call the ''new wave'' of Romanian cinema. Another Romanian director Cristian Mungiu won the Palme D'Or ... read more
Despite the challenging economic environment, private jet travel presents numerous opportunities
06 February 2010
One of the automatic assumptions made by both media and luxury industry professionals that the premium sector of the airline business is doomed for a gloomy future. While commercial scheduled airlines fly with empty seats in their business class sections, some private jet brokers and operators are taking advatage of this opportunity. ... read more
GUCCI vintage products are now certified by Christie's
30 January 2010
Christie's auction house is offering online and in select location a valuation and certification service for the owners of GUCCI vintage products, especially bags. Considering the reputation which is usually enhanced by the certification of a major auction house, this new service is likely to prove as an excellent PR and image tool for GUCCI, not only for its loyal customers but also for prospective ... read more
Luxury cosmetic salons, an opportunity for start up business in Central and Eastern Europe
09 January 2010
The first such cosmetic salons were opened over a decade ago by ESTEE LAUDER in Budapest, Bucharest and Prague. They have been operating in the flagship store of ESTEE LAUDER as small salons with facial and body cosmetic treatments, most of them with 2 or 3 treatment rooms.
Recently such branded salons have opened in Warsaw (Poland), the leading ones being DIOR, SHISEIDO and KANEBO. They are monobrand ... read more
Ljubljana, the only EU capital city with no international luxury hotels
17 December 2009
On a recent visit to LJUBLJANA, the capital city of SLOVENIA, we have been unpleasantly surprised to discover that the city has no international chain five star hotel.
Slovenia is not only a beautiful country with high mountains with international standard skying resorts and a stunning coast on the Adriatic sea, but it is also the strongest economy in the entire Central and Eastern European region, ... read more
All about franchising an international luxury brand
01 December 2009
Those who are familiar with the mass market franchising will find franchising in luxury very different. Actually, some luxury brands from the fashion, accessories and jewelry sectors consider the franchising agreement as a long term exclusivity agreement for a certain duration and territory and with a minimum agreed turnover and performance ... read more
Exceptional opportunities for luxury brands in the booming markets of Brasil and Chile
03 November 2009
Having recently been chosen as the host of the 2014 World Football Cup and of the 2016 Summer Olympics, has been creating euphoria in Brasil for the past 6 months. The news is also coupled by the discovery off the coast of Brasil of an important oil reserve. An IMF (International Monetary Fund) report estimated a growth of 3% for the entire Latin American region in 2010.
Recent figures indicate ... read more
Top luxury brands could save newly developed luxury residential projects
25 October 2009
Almost a year into the current crisis, we can all agree that real estate remains the most affected sector of all economies in Eastern Europe. Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine have been particularly more affected due to the large number of residential developments.
At least 20% of the current real estate developments are premium and luxury residential complexes, most of them located in the outskirts of ... read more
Eastern Europe, an untapped market with many resources for luxury brands
23 September 2009
For many years, luxury brands have ignored the potential of many Eastern European markets, focusing on Russia and Central Europe, both proving recently to be extremely volatile during the current crisis. Major luxury brands have followed each other in Prague and Budapest, both having shown strong potential prior to the debut of the crisis mid 2008. Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Hermes, Dior are just some of ... read more