Family spirit: Spanish jewellery brand Tous takes on travel retail

Welcome to the latest edition of our Family Spirit series, in which we uncover some of the fascinating stories of independent, entrepreneurial companies from around the industry.

This time we focus on family-owned Spanish brand Tous, which has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a watch repair company in 1920. 95 years on and the lifestyle and accessories brand is now established across the globe, and the company is embarking on the next steps in its journey.

From watch repair to global brand

Founded in 1920 by Salvador Tous Blavi and Teresa Ponsa Mas, Tous started life as a small watch repair shop in Barcelona. In 1965 Salvador Tous, son of Salvador Tous Blavi, and his wife Rosa Oriol took control of the family business. In 1970 they began designing and creating jewellery and in 1985 the Tous bear – now the brand’s iconic symbol – was born. Tous named the Duchess of Montoro Eugenia Martinez de Irujo as brand ambassador in 1997 before extending its product offer in 2000 to include fashion, accessories and handbags.

Salvador and Rosa’s four daughters (Rosa, Alba, Laura and Marta) joined the company in the 1990s and now play active and senior roles in the business. Alba is Chairwoman, Rosa assumes the role of Corporate Vice President and Marta is in charge of the Reasearch & Development department.

Tous products

Jewellery, which accounts for 52% of sales in all channels, forms the core of Tous’ business. The brand says its bestsellers are the classic pieces, which feature the Tous bear.

Of the creation of the Tous bear, Rosa Oriol says: “On one of my trips, I saw a teddy bear in a shop window that brought back fond memories of my childhood. ‘Why not make one in gold?’ I thought. The bear marked the start of our expansion and it’s always present in our designs. It is very special to me and I am aware that we have got to where we are thanks to the bear. The tenderness it transmits is universal.”

The brand refreshes its jewellery offer regularly, launching more than 30 jewellery collections each year, including items crafted from precious stones, fine metals and new materials such as titanium.

Over the years the company’s manufacturing techniques have evolved to combine traditional handcrafting with the latest technologies such as electroforming, a process that makes it possible to create large, lightweight pieces that are then treated by hand to finish.

Since 1920, around 100 million pieces of Tous jewellery have been sold and the introduction of new workshops means that the business now has the capacity to produce three million pieces per year.

In 2002, Tous launched its first fragrance – Tous Eau de Toilette. Then in 2004 came the brand’s first masculine scent, followed by a debut children’s fragrance in 2012.

The Tous fragrance portfolio now comprises 14 juices that are sold in more than 60 countries.

Other Tous products include handbags, which make up 15% of the business, watches, baby and children’s wear and eyewear – the company claims to be the number one glasses brand in Spain.

Travel retail and Tous

Tous has more than 500 stores globally across five continents (domestic and travel retail) and has forged partnerships with key duty free retailers such as Dufry/World Duty Free Group and Lagardère Travel Retail. Travel retail locations include Barcelona El Prat, Madrid Barajas, Mexico City, Bogota El Dorado, Santiago de Chile and Luis Muñoz Marín airports. Tous products are also listed onboard Iberia flights.

The brand’s most recent expansion in the channel includes two standalone store openings in the Americas; one at Miami International Airport and the other at Tocumen Airport in Panama.

According to the brand, since retailing began in spring last year, sales at these two new locations have been “very positive” and have exceeded expectations.

The brand is planning to develop its global duty free business and has earmarked Asia and the Americas as key focus areas.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Behind the corporate image is a company with a big heart. Tous is committed to giving back to the environment, culture and society, fulfilling its role of Corporate Social Responsibility.

In 2007, Tous unveiled its new corporate headquarters after the company restored a 19th century textile factory. Located in Manresa, Barcelona, the headquarters has systems that boost energy savings and efficiency and the building next to the factory runs on geothermal energy.

As a symbol of respect for the tradition and culture of the jewellery sector the brand also participates in restoring iconic jewellery stores. 2009 saw Tous open its flagship store on Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia after restoring its interiors to match the original design of architect Josep Lluís Sert.

Tous also claims to be one of the first companies in Spain to actively promote measures required for reconciling working and family life. Over a decade ago it opened a day care centre at its headquarters for children of its employees.

Social media savvy

Tous has also embraced digital technology. Social media is now a core channel in the company’s communication and, according to figures from SocialBakers.com, Tous ranks among the top ten Spanish brands in terms of social media engagements.

By the end of 2014, Tous had its own social networks operating in over 35 countries, over one million Facebook fans, more than 100,000 followers on Twitter and over 250,000 on Instagram.

The future goal for Tous is to turn itself into the most successful and desired jewellery and accessory brand in the world. “We have a long road ahead of us,” says Co-Founder and Honorary President Salvador Tous. “But we are ready and thrilled to lead this challenge with the new generations we have at Tous.”

With its 2,000 strong team of employees, family values and drive to innovate, the future could well be as bright as the brand’s illustrious past.

For more information on Tous and its products, visit www.tous.com.