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Marlox Group Chief Executive Officer Luc Moron |
Marlox Group, the Hong Kong-based manufacturer and distributor of watches and jewellery, is targeting 20% of sales from the travel retail channel, its Chief Executive Officer has revealed.
Luc Moron, who joined Marlox Group in July 2012 after 20 years with LVMH, latterly as Senior Vice President for Marc Jacobs in Asia Pacific, said the group had just entered travel retail with its brands, which include Mondaine, the official Swiss railway watch, Luminox, as well as the licensed fashion watch brands Givenchy, Esprit, Joop!, Pierre Cardin and Puma.
Speaking during the TFWA World Exhibition in October 2012, Moron told The Moodie Report: “We think travel retail should be 20% of our global sales – we’re just starting now. We’ve set quite a high target. We’ll be going to the [TFWA Asia Pacific] show in Singapore next May.”
The group set up its travel retail division in February 2012 headed by Beat Schärer as Global Sales Manager Travel Retail, and is targeting both airport and inflight sectors. “We’re working on the ground and in the air,” said Moron. “We’ve developed a specific range for airlines and we’re developing more products for them.
“Our Pierre Cardin jewellery and watches are already sold onboard airlines.”
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Mondaine’s new Simply Elegant watch |
Bringing more brands to the portfolio
Moron said the company would be taking an “origin” approach as it begins to tackle the channel with its fashion watch brands. “We are taking an origin approach. For example, Puma is strong in South America, so we will push further in South America with this brand.
“Esprit is stronger in the Middle East. So our origin strategy will be in accordance with each brand’s development in domestic markets.”
He added: “We are bringing more brands to our portfolio,” referring to the group’s newly gained licence for Givenchy watches, which will be launched into domestic markets next year at the 2013 Baselworld trade fair. “With Givenchy watches, the first step will be domestic markets, and the second step travel retail.”
He believes the brand with the most potential within the group already in the short-term is Pierre Cardin, which has “very high brand awareness worldwide and is a very good brand for travel retail”.
He said the group had just started negotiating for listings with ground shop operators and was “very happy” with its existing airline business. “I believe in the synergy between the domestic and travel retail markets.”
The group already has some travel retail business through its local distributors, for example in Brazil where Dufry is a customer.
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Esprit Timewear Dolce Vita Ceramic |
Developing the business with the right partners
Speaking about his new role heading up the travel retail division, Schärer told The Moodie Report: “We already had some travel business before but I am streamlining everything and developing the business with the right partners. We’ve had meetings with the global players.”
Asked about his impressions of today’s travel retail industry – to which Moron is returning after an absence of some 10 years – he said: “The industry is really moving. I was coming to [the TFWA World Exhibition] Cannes between 1992 and 2001 when I worked in cosmetics, and now I’m back. It has moved on a lot and I’m impressed by the size of the show.”
In terms of store presence, Moron said he would require a branded, dedicated area at point of sale in an airport shop. “We need to have a nice display and we need to differentiate our brand universe. We are flexible about showcases. Our price point is not completely self-service – it’s not a commodity. Our prices are above US$100 so we require some kind of customer service. We are about brands and we convey our brand message with point of sale material.”
Moron concluded: “Travel retailers have an opportunity to develop the fashion category for jewellery and watches, which will bring more business to the operators. Our group has affordable fashion brands – I hope we can be part of it.”
For details, contact Beat Schärer, Global Sales Manager Travel Retail, MYWA Swiss Watch and Jewellery (Far East) Ltd, tel: +41 79 423 52 36 or e-mail beat.schaerer@mondaine.ch
Visit www.mywabrands.com
