Hermès investit le capital de Pierre Hardy

By Romain, 13-juillet-2016, Journal du Luxe, Business

Hermès vient d’acquérir une « part minoritaire » de la société de chaussures et d’accessoires haut de gamme Pierre Hardy. Le taux de cette part n’a toutefois pas été communiqué.

Hermès a toujours eu pour habitude de soutenir stratégiquement et financièrement les designers avec lesquels il travaille. Le groupe avait par exemple acquis une part de 30% du capital de Jean Paul Gaultier en 2003. Une part vendue à Puig en 2011 après la fin de la collaboration entre les deux entités. La société est également devenue propriétaire du cordonnier britannique John Lobb.

Le fruit de 25 ans de collaboration

L’investissement de Hermès dans le capital de Pierre Hardy intervient après plusieurs années de collaboration entre les deux entités.

Hermès affiche ainsi son ambition de contribuer au plan de croissance de Pierre Hardy et de consolider une relation étroite avec le concepteur de chaussures haut de gamme. La Maison Pierre Hardy enregistre actuellement une croissance importante du fait de la hausse de la demande de chaussures.

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SOURCE : SMITHERS PIRA - 2016

An insight into the luxury packaging market that continues to grow globally, driven by exciting trends - the surge of personalised packaging, attention to sustainability issues, economic and demographic drivers.

Data from the Smithers Pira report The Future of Global Packaging to 2020 estimates a total world market for all packaging in 2015 worth $839 billion. This will grow steadily at a rate of 3.3% year-on-year through to the end of the decade; with the market will be worth nearly $1 trillion in 2020.

Luxury packaging is a lucrative, fast developing segment of this; Smithers Pira values it at $14.8 billion in 2015. It relative share belies its importance to the broader industry however. It is a segment where higher unit costs and the willingness of brands to invest in designs that directly enhance their products making it a cockpit for the entry and perfection of novel technologies. 

LUXURY IN VARIETY

Luxury packaging designers are increasingly gaining access to high-quality materials, finishes, decoration, innovative shapes, and caps and closures that enhance the consumer experience of the product. In its recent report The Future of Luxury Packaging to 2019 Smithers Pira identifies six key end-use applications:

- Confectionery
- Cosmetics & fragrances
- Gourmet food & drinks
- Premium alcoholic drinks – top-end spirits, wines and champagnes
- Tobacco
- Watches & jewellery

Across these, cosmetics and fragrances is the largest, accounting for a projected 43.3% share of luxury packaging market by value in 2014. This is followed by premium alcoholic drinks and tobacco, which have market shares of 21.9% and 16.5% respectively. In terms of volume, premium alcoholic drinks accounts for the largest share at 46.0%, followed by cosmetics & fragrances, which has a share of 31.0%.

Across the luxury markets under review, cosmetics & fragrances and watches & jewellery are forecast to be the fastest growing sectors for value and volume over the next 4 years. This growth in cosmetics & fragrances and watches & jewellery is driven by increased demand in emerging markets. Consumption of tobacco is set to grow only slowly by comparison over the next five years, with a decline in the developed regions of Western Europe and North America. Profits of luxury packaging suppliers in this area will also be seriously damaged if regulatory mandated plain tobacco packs – currently active in Australia and planned for the UIK – spread. 

All of these applications are potentially profitable markets for packaging manufacturers. This is because luxury packaging margins are typically higher than in mass-market packaging due to the greater perception of value it can add to the product. This is also reflected in a willingness for more investment in design and development work and justifies a larger outlay on materials and converting processes.

As the market expands, luxury applications will outstrip mean expansion in the packaging industry, growing at 4.4% in value terms year-on-year through to 2019 – culminating in a market Smithers Pira estimates at $17.6 billion in that year. Growth will be highest in Asia and the currently modest market of Latin America. The more mature regions of Western Europe and North America will see growth that, while still healthy, is below the global average.

The volume of luxury packaging consumed will increase at 3.1% annually across the same period.

GLOBAL BRANDS

In the 21st century globalised economy, ongoing industry consolidation means there is a smaller number of worldwide luxury houses that own multiple brands across different high-value markets. Examples of such houses are Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) – the most valuable luxury goods group in the world; Richemont, PPR; and Kering.

Such companies are keen to maintain, and where possible burnish, brand identities on a global scale. They are investing to evolve several key technologies that will help shape and bolster the luxury packaging market over the next five years, including:

- Anti-counterfeiting and brand protection
- Digital printing
- Enhanced embellishment and tactile effects
- Connection to the online world via smart devices and Big Data stores.

In addition to these technology developments, there are a number of other factors impacting the direction towards which luxury packaging is developing, including:

- Active packaging that can affect the goods within is increasingly being used for luxury products, with for example, isothermal sleeves for champagne to keep the drink cool;
- Luxury experience packaging where increased physical engagement with the branded pack enriches the consumer’s overall experience. This encompasses designs for novel opening and unwrapping mechanisms; infusing paper and packaging material with long-lasting fragrances; and fixtures, for example magnetic closures for colour cosmetics compact cases so that consumers are able to hear a sound confirming that the product has closed correctly;
- Personalised packaging, where a packaging product is embellished to make it unique and personal to the consumer – a trend that is most prevalent in gift-giving and driven by the technical capability of inkjet printers;
- Sustainability is a megatrend across packaging. Luxury brands too are aware that a greener profile is a worthwhile commitment for products like confectionary and cosmetics. 

SUBSTRATES

The main materials used in luxury packaging are paperboard, glass, metal, plastic, textiles, leather and wood. Paperboard is the most popular material used in luxury packaging, accounting for a projected 41.9% share of luxury packaging market value in 2014. The second most used material in value terms is glass, followed by plastic, with market shares of 30.1% and 15.4% respectively.

Source : Smithers Pira

In terms of market volume, glass accounts for the largest share at 58.3%, followed by paperboard, which has a share of 25.9%. This discrepancy can be explained by the relatively lower cost of glass per tonne, compared to both luxury paperboard and plastic, as well as the higher unit weight and density of glass – particularly in the case of premium alcoholic drinks.

Across luxury packaging materials, plastic and glass are forecast to show the highest growth rates in value terms through to 2019. Plastic is also set to be the fastest growing material in terms of volume.

Demand for both glass and plastic is being driven by the recovery and stronger growth evident in the main luxury markets, particularly cosmetics and fragrances. Glass on the whole is losing share in packaging, but is proving much more resilient and hard to replace in luxury applications. Here it remains popular with brand owners and consumers, due in part to its strong sustainability associations, but more importantly for its high-quality appearance. Rising demand for plastic packaging meanwhile is being driven by its lower cost and lighter weight.

MARKET LANDSCAPE

The mass-market packaging industry is increasingly consolidated – especially in older material formats like glass and metal – but less so for newer rigid and flexible polymer types. The luxury packaging supply industry is also diverse – consisting of a large number of businesses with a broad range of sizes, scopes and product offerings.

There are a number of multi-material companies that have a particular speciality in luxury packaging; for example, the Verpack Group is a leading European manufacturer, specialising in luxury packaging made from both cardboard and plastic. There are also a number of large international packaging groups that specialise in one particular material and supply to the luxury market – for example, Mayr-Melnhof is one of the leading paperboard manufacturers, Ardagh Glass is a top glass manufacturer and Crown Specialty Packaging is a prominent metal packaging supplier.

BRAND PROTECTION

Counterfeiting that leads to lost sales and damaged brand perception is among the top concerns for luxury brands. This is a problem to which luxury pack designs can provide an answer – principally because high-grade materials and embellishments are much harder for counterfeiters to copy convincingly – giving an indication to consumer before they buy.

This opportunity is now coalescing around a number of key trends like enhanced decorative holograms and covert taggants and electronic platforms, where buyer can verify products themselves via smart device. The basic level for this is via QR codes. Such visual signs have a major drawback however in that their block monotone graphics are likely to seriously impinge on the overall appearance of the pack.

Systems that rely on radio-frequency identification (RFID) and increasingly Near-Field Communication (NFC) protocols have the advantage of being discrete. Furthermore the higher margins in luxury packaging mean that cost considerations that inhibit roll-out in mass applications are less of a barrier.

NFC, QR and RFID platforms have the added benefit that they can also allow the consumer and brand to interact – forging a deeper, more enduring relationship. For example, once a consumer has confirmed the authenticity of a purchased product using an internet connection to a secure online database, the same medium can be used to offer vouchers for repeat or complimentary purchases.

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SOURCE : LE MONDE.FR - 02 JUILLET 2016

La mode est par définition éphémère. Les groupes de mode devraient-ils l'être aussi ? Si certains se fanent l'espace de quelques saisons, d'autres s'épanouissent dans la durée. Beaucoup sont des enfants de l'après-guerre, comme Zara ou H&M, d'autres puisent leurs racines carrément au début du siècle. L'ancêtre de Vivarte, le chausseur André, a ouvert sa première boutique parisienne en  1903, avec comme slogan " souliers de mode depuis 1900 ". Et déjà cette idée du choix le plus large et des prix bas qui fera les délices de la société de consommation du XXe siècle.

Depuis trois ans, Vivarte, l'un des premiers groupes de mode français, avec 17 000 employés, enchaîne les plans de restructuration, les fermetures de magasins et les cessions de marques. Jeudi 30  juin, il a annoncé la mise en vente de trois de ses noms les plus populaires, Kookaï, Chevignon et Pataugas. En début d'année, la Compagnie vosgienne de la chaussure et l'enseigne Défi Mode avaient suivi la même route. La société n'en finit pas de détricoter un ouvrage construit depuis sa diversification dans l'habillement en  1984, et qui a culminé au seuil de la crise de 2008. Les marques acquises consciencieusement racontent l'âge d'or des gloires du quartier parisien du Sentier. Caroll, Creeks, Liberto, Kookaï, Naf Naf, Chevignon. Vivarte est un enfant des années 1980… comme un parfum de jeans à la française et d'exubérance à l'américaine.

Mais les fans des années 1980 doivent se souvenir que cette période a aussi apporté aux entrepreneurs français la magie de la finance et de l'endettement facile. Le virage vers l'habillement de la star hexagonale de la chaussure familiale s'est produit dans les deux décennies 1990-2010 sur une montagne de dettes, notamment grâce à l'arrivée en France des fonds d'investissement et de leur technique du LBO. Une formule magique qui permet à des financiers de racheter une entreprise au moyen d'un recours massif à l'endettement, remboursé par la société achetée. La crise de 2008 a sifflé la fin de cette période glorieuse où dirigeants et actionnaires gagnaient à tous les coups.

A la fois trop petit et trop gros.

La baisse de la consommation et l'arrivée à maturité d'une nouvelle concurrence ont fragilisé les châteaux de cartes comme Vivarte. Soudain, le français est devenu bien fragile face à des mastodontes comme Zara ou H&M, des monuments d'organisation rationnelle et d'innovation qui ont pulvérisé les modèles anciens.

Face à ces " machines ", la collection de marques de Vivarte n'a pas pu opposer une agilité et une créativité qui font le succès de petits nouveaux venus, comme le français Sandro Maje, ou de stars de l'Internet, comme le britannique Asos. Coincé au milieu du sablier, à la fois trop petit et trop gros, sous la pression d'actionnaires d'autant plus impatients qu'ils sont ses anciens créanciers, Vivarte n'a pas d'autre choix que de maigrir ou de disparaître. Pas facile de redevenir à la mode.

Philippe Escande

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Conference « Luxury and China: insights and perspectives for 2016 and beyond » [06/30] Sharing the event’s most important moments [#promiseconsulting @adetem]

On Thursday, June 30, 2016, at the Café l’Adjugé in Paris, Promise Consulting hosted a conference on "Luxury and China: the challenges and perspectives for 2016 and beyond”.

In total 40 people, professionals from top luxury brands, journalists and consultants in the world of luxury, fashion, beauty and tourism, participated in the breakfast conference initiated by Promise Consulting at the prestigious Parisian auctioneers Drouot from 8:30am to 10:30am.

Continuing a series of lectures on trends and perspectives regarding the development of the world luxury market, Philippe Jourdan, founding partner and Chunyan Li, Senior Consultant and China specialist, combined their expertise and presented together a broad overview of the opportunities and challenges of the Chinese luxury market:

- On the one hand, the cyclical factors were isolated from the structural ones to discern the growth opportunities in a certainly more "bumpy" economic context. Additionally, the conference outlined new and interesting opportunities for Western luxury brands.

- On the other hand, the enriching insights of the specialist in Chinese culture took into account the emergence of new expectations, especially of those of younger generations, vs the ones of the luxury goods generations.

THEY ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE AND SHARED THEIR OPINION 

"UN GRAND MERCI POUR LA CONFERENCE CONCERNANT LA CHINE, AS ALWAYS INSIGHTFUL, INTERESTING, IN DEPTH AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND" - BENJAMIN, LUXENDREAM

"MERCI ENCORE POUR HIER. C'ETAIT TRES INTERESSANT, D'AUTANT PLUS QUE LA CHINE REPRESENTE UN DE NOS PLUS GROS MARCHES.  REMERCIEZ POUR MOI CHUNYAN ET PHILIPPE POUR LEUR PARTICIPATION" - LUCAS, LACOSTE

"JE TENAIS EGALEMENT A VOUS REMERCIER POUR L'ORGANISATION DE CETTE BELLE CONFERENCE OU NOUS AVONS APPRIS BEAUCOUP GRACE A UNE PRESENTATION TRES CLAIRE" - CAMILLE, CHANEL

"GRAND MERCI POUR CETTE CONFERENCE TRES INTERESSANTE QUI M'A DONNE UN AUTRE REGARD SUR BIEN DES SUJET. ELLE FUT RICHE EN ENSEIGNEMENTS ET TRES CONVIVIALE. BRAVO POUR LE TIMING CAR LE FAIT QU'IL N'Y AIT PAS EU DE DERAPAGE M'A PERMIS DE PROFITER DES CONCLUSIONS" - VINCENT, KPMG

THE SPEAKERS' POINT OF VIEW ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

 CHUNYAN LI

Philippe Jourdan

CHINA: AN ECONOMY IN TRANSITION

Both speakers started with a reminder of some important economic indicators which are necessary to develop and establish a healthy Chinese economy in the World: a slowing but still positive growth, the recent devaluation of the Yuan but with forecasts that should take into account the political will of the Chinese authorities to reduce their dependence of the dollar (and primarily of the US debt).

Based on this perspective, the Chinese economy is in the transition from a "Made IN China" through a "Made BY China" to a "Made FOR China" culture, although the share of GDP devoted to domestic consumption and expenditure of the Chinese government is still behind compared to those traditionally reserved for investment and net exports.

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A LUXURY ECONOMY WHICH IS VERY (TOO) DEPENDENT OF CHINESE TOURIST PURCHASES

In 2000, 10 million tourists traveled the world. During the year 2020, 200 million Chinese tourists are expected to travel abroad. In 2015, they were nearly 105 million to move beyond the Chinese borders. Of course, the first regional destination remains by far Asia. However, while the movements and trips to Hong Kong have recognized a slow-down (in response to the sinophone manifestation of the residents of Hong Kong), the Chinese tourism presents a good performance in France despite its unfavorable security environment. In the end, nearly 77% of the Chinese luxury goods purchases ("personal luxury goods") are realized abroad (24% in Asian countries nearby and 53% outside this sphere).

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CHINA: "IT IS ALL ABOUT DIGITAL, IDIOT"

With more than half of the connected population (50.3%), nearly 3h45 spent on average per day on digital networks and 594 million Chinese connected to their mobile phones, the Internet plays a vital and inescapable role regarding the Chinese communication and information research methods. And we go even one step further: with an increasing tendency, the Chinese are getting more and more likely to realize online purchases to such an extent, that the online US trade is expected to be exceeded by the end of 2016 (forecast: $ 371 billion of Chinese purchases against $ 326 billion for the US).

The Chinese digital landscape has obviously its specifics and is very different from the one of the Western countries. For each type of digital application developed in the West (search engines, social networks, networks of micro-chats and micro-blogging, etc.) there exists a Chinese version, which is far away from just being a clone of its Western counterpart. In particular, among all social networks, Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, and WeChat, a combination of Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype, have become the companies’ most preferred promotion tools. They have respectively reached the 222 million and 650 million active users in 2015.

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THE CHINESE CULTURE: BETWEEN GUANXI AND MIANZI

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According to a Chinese proverb, “Just as a tree needs bark, someone needs his face". The culture of Mianzi ("face") attaches great importance to the various forms of respect, social acceptance and recognition. Everybody lives in and through the eyes of others: a trend of the Chinese elites is therefore to systematically compare themselves to others in terms of both criteria, professional and personal success. Luxury goods subsequently allow the wealthy Chinese to materialize and demonstrate their social status and financial situation to others and thus shape the image they wish to send to those around them (...).

In China, "the formality must be mutual". Indeed, the Chinese highly value social relationships within their close circle, also known as the famous “Guangxi”. Having a good "Guanxi" allows the Chinese to benefit from mutual support and to proceed or solve problems faster. Finally, the favor – also called "RenQuing" in Chinese - can be a real credit or a true debit. Seen from this perspective, offering a valuable gift, no matter if it is a product or a powerful experience also enhances the "face" ("Mianzi") of the interlocutor (…).

THREE GENERATIONS OF LUXURY BRANDS CLIENTS IN CHINA

Nowadays there are three clearly identified generations of luxury goods consumers in China, which strongly differ in terms of their profile, expectations and their luxury experiences.

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The first generation is the one of the Baby Boomers. Born between 1950 and 1964, they fully lived in the era of President Mao, wherefore their state of mind is marked by nationalism and idealism and their life shaped through the frugality they recognized during their youth. The Cultural Revolution presents for them a strong reminder of the sustainable weakening of traditional and ancestral values ​​of the Chinese society, whereby some of them reminisce still about the great famine of 1958 to 1961. Being in the position to make decisions and confident about their power, they combine both, power and wealth, which enables them to get everything they want, and of which they were deprived in the first part of their lives.

The second generation is the Generation X (1965-1979). The children of the economic reform, initiated in 1978, were educated by MAO and trained by Bill Gates. This high tension has caused confusion and a certain sense of insecurity among them. This fact represents the reason for their opportunistic behavior and their search and need for material security. They were among the first to consume luxury goods, whereby 60% of them purchase these products to increase their self-esteem. Approximately 80 % of the Chinese private companies are run by representatives of this generation.

The third generation is the Generation Y (1980-1995).  Since their early childhood, people of this generation benefited enormously from the economic reform, without having gone through very difficult times. Generation Y is confronted with a wide variety of consumer choices, wherefore their behavior and habits westernize, although they kept their Chinese roots. Ordering a Big Mac at McDonalds' or a coffee at Starbucks, using the iPhone or iPad to connect themselves to the Internet and chat with strangers, or buying products on WeChat or e-commerce websites, became part of their daily lives.

 THE FRENCH LUXURY BRANDS THAT REMAIN VERY APPRECIATED

The Conference concluded with the presentation of the results of the Barometer Front Row, jointly conducted by Promise Consulting and Exane BNP. This barometer measures for different countries the Exclusivity and Desirability of Luxury Brands in the world of fashion (ready-to-wear, bags and shoes) as well as for the domain of Cosmetics (perfumes, skincare and makeup).

 [TO VISUALIZE THE COMPLETE RESULTS CLICK HERE]

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Do you want to know more? Do you have a project on China? Do you want to know our offer on international studies in the segments luxury brands, beauty and selective distribution?

ABOUT PROMISE CONSULTING

Promise Consulting is a company specialized in marketing studies and consultancy, issued from the merge of Promise Consulting Inc., JPL Consulting and Panel on the Web.

Promise Consulting integrates services of market research and marketing consultancy delivered with a high added value. We created an innovative measuring methodology of a brand’s performance and its return on investments (ROI): the “Monitoring Brand Assets ©”. This methodology, deployed in nearly 50 countries, has surveyed 250 brands in multiple sectors, totaling over 1,5 millions questionnaires. 

Established in Paris, New-York and Casablanca, Promise Consulting conducts studies and services of consultancy in the whole world. Promise Consulting is mostly known for its expertise in measuring a brand’s value from the clients’ perspective.

Promise Consulting has developed innovative techniques and models, was awarded 7 times in 10 years, by its Peers nationally and internationally. It provides insights and recommendations to the most notorious brands in luxury, cosmetics and retailing sectors, helping them develop on national and foreign markets. It is also active in several sectors of the industry, every time the brands are looking for an effective growth strategy in order to better understand the market, to reach their customers, attract them and, finally, keep them.

Pr Philippe Jourdan, CEO of Promise Consulting, is the editor-in-chief of Adetem’s journal, the French Journal of Marketing (Revue Française de Marketing, RFM), since 2011. He publishes in academic journals internationally on the problems of the valuation of the brands in luxury, beauty and selective distribution. He also publishes in the economic press and news media (such as Le Monde, les Echos, le Figaro, l’Opinion, la Revue des Marques, etc.). Philippe is a university professor, researcher at the IRG (CNRS) and laureate of the Best Article of Research AFM 2000. He holds a certification in social media.