Comments:
Marketing I don’t comprehend
My wife was shopping at Nordstrom at Ala Moana mall here in Honolulu.
So I took the opportunity to check out Ben Bridges Timeworks, a multi line watch retailer close by.
Surprised to see both Tudor and Breitling represented as they both have factory boutiques in the same mall! With so many great marques unrepresented out there; why compete with a factory boutique?
So I took the opportunity to check out Ben Bridges Timeworks, a multi line watch retailer close by.
Surprised to see both Tudor and Breitling represented as they both have factory boutiques in the same mall! With so many great marques unrepresented out there; why compete with a factory boutique?
Let's see which storefronts are still open in 2 years. Monobrand boutiques are struggling post bubble, multi-brand retailers are proving more resilient when going head to head against any doors that aren't Rolex, Patek, or AP.
It's a funny world we are living in. I don't understand it either but my friend sincerely enjoys the game of it all. Clients now are contestants, may the odds be ever in your favor. Also, I think he has too much free time 😂
Breitling must have excellent margins, many retailers seem to hang on to the brand... even over Cartier(!).
This concept is very strange to me
Several years ago , an Omega Boutique opened in a nearby mall. A multi-line AD (including Omega) was not only very well established, but also located right across the street. Guess which store is still there today 🙂
I've noticed a similar situation at Tysons Galleria in Northern Virginia.
Despite the presence of Breitling and Cartier boutiques in the mall, the multi-brand AD still carries those 2 brands. I asked a sales rep about and was told that they sell more Cartier watches than the boutique. OTOH that AD seems to have dropped IWC after an IWC Boutique moved in.
So who can say?
Consider this, both brands can be ordered direct online
somehow that makes the physical proximity less of a competitive threat
Easy to understand ?
Having Breitling and Tudor, they can « encourage » customers to buy some of this watches to get access faster to other time pieces which are difficult to get, increasing then their revenue. For the customer he only needs to build relationship with one person not many.
Well Ben Bridges
Was around for decades long before the boutiques began. It used to be the only way to get Rolexes in some cities back in the 1980s. I am surprised they still survive in modern times
Don't some of these ADs own/run the boutiques as well?
I think that may be the case here.
I don't know
I just know BB was once a big retailer before Swiss Watches became as prestigious as they are today in my hometown. Boutiques came about maybe 20 years ago? And even more recently the flagship stores that don't sell watches. Another evolution of marketing? They want you to experience the brand and not focus on purchasing. Not intuitive to me but a few boutiques are like this. They make the brand more exclusive where now you have to socialize with other owners before they let you buy the watch. You get invited to golf or other social gatherings. They show you exclusive watches and maybe you get an invitation to buy.