Capella Industries’ Lambretta Watches is taking its fashion concept forward with the launch of the Cielo Collection in 23 airport stores across Europe with Gebr Heinemann.
In a departure from traditional watch retailing, Lambretta Watches – with its positioning as a fun, grab-and-go fashion brand – is being marketed alongside other fashion accessories such as sunglasses and apparel. It will retail side by side with Ice-Watch, the Belgian brand known for its colourful designs.
Capella Industries Sales Director Travel Retail Beatrice Düring explained to The Moodie Report that the idea was born from a desire to provide customers with a more tactile experience with its watches; to let them touch and feel the product instead of keeping the watches encased in glass counters.
The idea was first conceptualised and executed in Heinemann’s Spring promotion at Vienna International Airport last year. Presented alongside pashminas, sneakers, watches and other fashion accessories, Lambretta eventually outsold other watch brands, the company said.
Following the Vienna promotion the brand opened two branded counters at Copenhagen Airport in a similar fashion environment. 100 to 150 watches were sold per month – and Lambretta decided to maintain this particular retailing approach.
Lambretta Watches then ran a promotion with Heinemann at Budapest Airport for the period May-June 2012, focusing on its Italian heritage and link with Lambretta scooters. Sales results exceeded expectations, with 678 pieces from the Cielo and Franco lines being sold over the two months – above the 555 units initially targeted.
Later that year, Lambretta again teamed up with Heinemann for a promotion during the November-December 2012 festive period. Themed “˜Time to Party’, the promotion rolled out in 13 of Heinemann’s airport stores in Germany, Austria and Hungary. It included an exclusive prelaunch of Lambretta’s three-piece Cielo Metallic Collection: Metallic Hot Pink, Metallic Eclectic Blue and Metallic Frosty Silver. The Cielo Metallic Collection, initially offered as a one-off collection for the promotion, was so successful that it was later added to Heinemann’s permanent offer.
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Lambretta Watches’ Cielo Collection displayed alongside Ice-Watch in the fashion accessories category at Heinemann Duty Free in Vienna International Airport |
Following the opening of Heinemann’s new store in G. Marconi Di Bologna Airport on 2 February 2013, 191 pieces from the Cielo Collection were sold in less than a month – more than six pieces per day. This was a healthy result for a small airport like Bologna with annual passenger traffic of about six million, the company said, compared to Copenhagen Airport which has about 23 million passengers in 2011 and sales of 100-150 pieces per month.
While other brands may not be receptive to being marketed right next to their competitors, Düring noted that the positioning of both Lambretta Watches and Ice-Watch can help increase exposure for both brands.
These counters will open in 23 of Heinemann’s airport stores across Europe by the end of June, in locations such as Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Denmark, and Norway. In line with its fashion concept, Lambretta Watches has also created a bag hanger as a GWP for its female customers.
Capella Industries is hoping to use its success in Europe with Heinemann as a stepping stone into other major airports, particularly in Asia, where it is working with its travel retail agent Jonathan Holland & Associates. Düring said she is hoping to secure listings with at least another major retailer by the end of year.
