The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Louis Vuitton’s new exhibition space on the Seine River, as well as parts of the brand’s adjoining headquarters on Rue du Pont Neuf could eventually be transformed into a flagship store and hotel, WWD reported Tuesday citing comments by CEO Michael Burke.
The move would follow sweeping renovations and store expansions at the historic homebases of LVMH’s other top brands. Christian Dior recently combined six buildings originally acquired by the brand’s founder in the 1940s, creating a sprawling store, museum, restaurant, luxury suites and spa that opened earlier this year. In 2016, Fendi moved its offices out of the Palazzo Fendi in Rome to make room for an expanded store, hotel, and haute fourrure atelier, while American jeweller Tiffany & Co’s iconic New York flagship is currently undergoing a major renovation.
Louis Vuitton’s headquarters is just steps from La Samaritaine, a department store in which LVMH invested more than $1 billion to acquire and transform into a luxury hotel and tax-free shopping mall.
A spokesperson for the brand declined to comment.
Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholder’s documentation guaranteeing BoF’s complete editorial independence.
Hermes saw Chinese buyers snap up its luxury products as the Kelly bag maker showed its resilience amid a broader slowdown in demand for the sector.
The group’s flagship Prada brand grew more slowly but remained resilient in the face of a sector-wide slowdown, with retail sales up 7 percent.
The guidance was issued as the French group released first-quarter sales that confirmed forecasts for a slowdown. Weak demand in China and poor performance at flagship Gucci are weighing on the group.
Consumers face less, not more, choice if handbag brands can't scale up to compete with LVMH, argues Andrea Felsted.