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Alastair Henderson, newly appointed Regional Sales Manager for North America |
The Dreyfuss Group has announced the appointment of Alastair Henderson as Regional Sales Manager for North America, effective 1 October.
Henderson will be responsible for driving watch sales within the North America market for The Dreyfuss Group brands, including Rotary, Dreyfuss & Co and J&T Windmills.
Prior to joining The Dreyfuss Group, Henderson carved out a 20-year career in his father’s retail jewellery business, from a customer-facing role at the beginning of his career to becoming a senior watch buyer, instrumental in multi-site store management.
Henderson, who is already familiar with Rotary thanks to the increasing demand for the brand in the USA, is said to be “well placed” to support the company’s growth in the region.
The Dreyfuss Group Managing Director Victoria Campbell commented: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Alastair Henderson. Alastair will be based in North America and will support our retail network with training, merchandising and general enquires.”
Speaking to The Moodie Report, Campbell said that North America is “an increasing focus” for the company, and it is planning to build the Rotary brand in the US market by leveraging its role as the Global Official Timekeeper of Chelsea Football Club.
The exclusive four-year sponsorship deal, announced in October 2013, has been described as “the catalyst to accelerated overseas growth”.
Campbell explained: “Chelsea FC’s reach both internationally and locally is phenomenal; statistics show that two billion fans follow football with a broadcast reach of 545 million. By associating Rotary with Chelsea FC, our brand recognition in the market will increase significantly within territories in the Asia Pacific and the Americas.”
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Rotary’s exclusive four-year sponsorship deal with Chelsea FC has been “the catalyst to accelerated overseas growth” for The Dreyfuss Group |
Besides North America, Asia has been earmarked as Rotary’s other big focus market for 2015. The region has been “given new impetus” following The Dreyfuss Group’s acquisition earlier this year by Citychamp Watch and Jewellery (formerly China Haidian Holdings).
“Citychamp Watch and Jewellery is based in Hong Kong and has a strong presence within the China market, allowing The Dreyfuss Group to increase distribution quickly and efficiently. Brand awareness is already building courtesy of Rotary’s global sponsorship with Chelsea FC. Expect to see huge growth within Asia over the coming years,” Campbell revealed.
The company believes that its mid-tier product offering will appeal to consumers in emerging markets such as India and China who are looking for “a premium, quality product that they can afford and cherish”.
The Asia Pacific region delivered “a particularly strong performance” in 2013 and 2014 against a backdrop of a slowdown in the high-end luxury goods market in China. “This trend would signal to us that the segment of the market in which we operate – offering elegant and affordable Swiss made watches – is currently the “˜sweet spot’ to be,” said Campbell.
2014 has been a good year overall for The Dreyfuss Group, which has grown worldwide and now distributes to 50 countries including Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Middle East, Europe, North America, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Russia, and the UK.
“This growth has been bolstered by our strong travel retail strategy which includes our presence at the recent TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes,” Campbell added.
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The Dreyfuss Group believes its classic Swiss made watches at affordable prices will appeal to consumers looking for “a premium, quality product that they can afford and cherish”; clockwise from top left: Rotary’s Jura, Lucerne, quartz complication and Chelsea FC watches | |
The company entered the travel retail sector relatively recently and has grown steadily every year. Its brands are now available on board over 30 airlines including BA, Virgin, Continental Airlines, Qantas, Thai Airways and China Airlines, and at approximately 15 airside locations.
Dreyfuss & Co was recently listed with Lufthansa, while Rotary has grown the number of listings with Emirates, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Qatar Airways and Oman Air.
“In the past two years we have more than quadrupled our airline business and in 2014/2015 we hope to maintain that rate of growth with our new airline range,” said Campbell.
On the ground, Rotary has secured new duty free airside locations this year at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Frankfurt Airport.
Campbell believes that the travel retail channel presents more opportunities than challenges for the watch category. “With the new emerging middle market consumer from developing countries and an ever greater incidence of international travel, be it for business or leisure, travel retail can only become a more important part of the overall mix and a great backdrop for brands to engage with international consumers.”
The Dreyfuss Group was recognised earlier this year with The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in the International Trade category.
Described as “Britain’s most coveted commercial prize”, The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are presented to businesses that have achieved substantial growth in overseas earnings and in commercial success through either outstanding achievement over three years or continuous achievement over six years. The Dreyfuss Group was singled out for its performance between 2010 and 2012, and said that the belief in international trade is central to its business strategy.
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The Dreyfuss Group Managing Director Victoria Campbell accepting the Queen’s Award for International Trade from the Deputy Lieutenant for The City of Westminster, Dr Paul Knapman |
