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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INTERCONTINENTAL loses ground in Central and Eastern Europe
07 January 2010
InterContinental is one of the international hotel chains with the widest presence in Central and Eastern Europe. There are InterContinental hotels under management agreement in Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Kiev (Ukraine), Prague (Czech Republic) Warsaw (Poland) and Vienna (Austria). Most of the hotels, with the exception of Kiev and Warsaw have been open for more than 20 years and ... read more
Mandarin Oriental Barcelona, Spain's number one luxury hotel - now open
20 December 2009
Luxury has finally arrived in Barcelona.
The brand new Mandarin Oriental Barcelona is not only a luxury statement in one of Europe's most beautiful cities but also a reference for a new, higher standard of luxury services. In an established tourism market such as Spain one could hardly have anticipated a new hotel opening to have such an impact on the standards of five star hotels. Mandarin Oriental ... read more
C&A is the latest fast fashion brand to launch a more fashionable, premium line
15 December 2009
Mass market clothing retailer C&A, which is owned by the German Group LIDL annouced the launching of its first premium line, with prices 30% to 40% cheaper than the competing premium and luxury brands. The line called Yessica Pure will first be lauched in select stores of C&A in Spain and similar lines will be rolled out in Europe. For instance the price of a product from the ... read more
Best luxury hotels in Central and Eastern Europe
06 December 2009
A recent survey conducted by CPP Management Consultants Ltd among 200 discerning travellers, who travel frequently to Eastern Europe, mostly for business reveals the top five star luxury hotels:
PRAGUE
Mandarin Oriental
- spectacular location downtown Prague
- historical building (former monastery)
- spacious and comfortable rooms with modern ... read more
ARMANI, CAVALLI, FERRAGAMO go online to boost holiday sales
30 November 2009
Italian fashion houses including Giorgio Armani and Valentino Fashion Group , which have traditionally spurned the Internet, are testing Web stores this holiday season in a quest for new sources of revenue.
The worst recession since World War II and Italian acceptance of Internet buying -- even for big-ticket items -- is sparking greater use of Web shops in the luxury-goods industry. Designer Roberto ... read more
Top new luxury hotels opening by the end of the year
22 November 2009
PENINSULA SHANGHAI
- amazing location in historical Shanghai
- large rooms (over 40sqm), all with dressing rooms
- state of the art technology
- impecable SPA facilities
Opening rates: from EUR 300/night
MANDARIN ORIENTAL Las Vegas
- latest contemporary design (the most modern in Vegas)
- huge rooms (over 60 sqm)
- state of the art technology in ... read more
Belgrade, one of the Eastern European capitals with the highest potential for luxury hotels
03 November 2009
Capital of Serbia, Belgrade is mainly a business destination for foreigners. Years of political intrusion into the economy have stalled privatisations of the state owned hotels and many such existing hotels have an unclear ownership situation. Thefore, for instance, the largest hotel in Belgrade, the Continental Hotel is currently rated at four stars, yet facilities and ... read more
Luxury mobile phones - a threat to the watch industry?
25 October 2009
As reported throught 2009, exports of Swiss luxury watches have continued to fall, the latest figures released by the Swiss Haute Horogerie foundation showing drops of more than 20%. Meanwhile, the luxury phone market continues to grow, with more and more luxury brands launching their own branded mobile phone. Nowadays, mobile phones offer much more than voice phone calls but alsomedia ... read more
Cocor Luxury Store – rent bids, more important then brands
13 October 2009
The future commercial center Cocor Luxury Store in Bucharest has recently launched its own rating system of brands and their distributors. The rating system is, in fact, an open bid that takes into account how much the stores are willing to pay for the rent, the novelty factor on the Romanian market and the brands presence on the rating lists of the Luxury Institute, instyle.com or ... read more
Luxury goes small
17 September 2009
Small is certainly the buzzword among industry analysts. As if designers were carrying the mandates of their boardrooms to the drawing table, the latest products coming from the design realm are quite literally downsized. There are handbags the size of hands, toy-like automobiles — General Motors is banking on five tiny cars in its upcoming high-stakes lineup — and furniture ... read more
CONSTANTA - luxury and premium hotels review
14 September 2009
The off-season means mostly hibernation for the Constanta – Mamaia resorts. Hotels are shut down until the spring works, dance clubs and all-night pubs return to their home-towns (mainly Bucharest, where the branded pubs are closed throughout the summer) and the few restaurants still working cut short their menus. The main premium offers for the months to come are the four main luxury hotels ... read more
Romanian gourmet market – a few things worth while
07 September 2009
One has to be a bit mad to go shopping for gourmet products in Bucharest. Not only because it would be easier to avoid the hellish traffic and go directly to Bulgaria for such an enterprise, but it may even prove cheaper to fly to Milan, buy all the spices and salami one needs, and then return to Romania. The market is flooded with anonymous products for outrageous prices. At a first sight, ... read more
Fashion discovers movies as the perfect marketing tool
30 August 2009
More and more fashion brands are discovering movies as a unique marketing tool which has a worldwide reach therefore generating awareness in a subtle way. French awarn winning actress Audrey Tatou, CHANEL's new brand ambassador played this year the designer herself in COCO AVANT CHANEL, a movie by Anne Fontaine which has received great reviews. CHANEL's strategy has gone further by featuring the same ... read more
Luxury sport accessories on high demand
26 July 2009
In the current turbulent market conditions top luxury fashion brands are looking at innovative products to complete their product ranges, many having recognized sport couture as a market niche. Luxury accessories address a clientele still prepared to spend more for an outing, be it just a weekend by the sea or in the mountains. Luxury sport accessories are not only a symbol of social status but also a ... read more
Luxury summer breaks at exceptional prices
19 July 2009
NEW YORK
Stay at legendary THE PIERRE Taj Hotel, one of the top deluxe five star hotels in New York and fly direct to New York from Bucharest with DELTA. The Pierre has recently been reopened following a complete renovation. For instance 20 - 24 August, the total price USD 3.100 per person, if you book directly on the Taj and Delta websites.
SHANGHAI
Stay at FOUR SEASONS, one of the ... read more
Lux Garden Hotel in the mountain resort of Azuga (Romania) aims for RELAIS CHATEAUX membership
17 July 2009
New co-owners of LUX GARDEN boutique hotel situated in the mountain resort of Azuga (Carpathian mountains - Romania) have recently declared they intend to include the hotel in the prestigious RELAIS CHATEAUX marketing chain of hotels. Oliver Petcu of CPP Management Consultants Ltd doubts that it is highly unlikely for the reputed chain to afflilliate such a modern design property in a mountain resort ... read more