Trend spotting
Jewellery, like fashion, is becoming more and more sensitive to style trends. Nicki Saunders talks to a selection of category buyers to find out their tips for jewellery in 2008
The Nuance Group, Switzerland
At Zürich Airport the retailer has standalone boutiques for Swarovski, Thomas Sabo and Bvlgari. It also offers, among others brands, Thomas Sabo, Hot Diamonds, Fossil, Armani, Morellato, Misaki, Pilgrim, Guess, Chopard and Goldsmith. Dimitra Carlucci, category buyer for luxury hardgoods for The Nuance Group, gives Frontier her tips for 2008.
“Our star brand in fine jewellery is Bvlgari and in fashion jewellery it’s Swarovski and Thomas Sabo. Jewellery is a growing business and it’s quite important for Nuance. Charm bracelets are still a key selling product this summer. Also, there is now a wider selection of charm products, such as charm necklaces, charm watches and charm earrings.
Self-service jewellery also has huge potential for airports. Swarovski was one of the first to embrace it, followed by Thomas Sabo, Swatch, Misaki and Pilgrim, and now more and more brands want to focus on self-service stands for airports.
Pink gold is very fashionable this summer as are coloured stones. Charms in all different variants will be very trendy. This summer especially, pendants where you can choose different charms to hang on the necklace will be in vogue, along with large coloured stones. Gold is also coming back more and more.”
Aer Rianta International
Jewellery represents 4% of total sales in Aer Rianta International’s Travel Value shops in Dublin, Shannon and Cork. 68% of the retailer’s jewellery offer is self-select and 32% (items typically over €100) are behind glass. Suzanna Kelley, group buyer for jewellery and watches for ARI’s operations in Ireland, shares her prediction for the upcoming trends.
“With the price of gold increasing rapidly, fashion jewellery and silver jewellery are becoming more important. Currently, 65% of our jewellery offer is silver and silver-related products. We offer lots of local brands, including ethnic jewellery that is specific to Ireland such as traditional Celtic jewellery.
With more and more fashion jewellery we are having to update the offer more often in order to keep up with trends, which means jewellery as a whole is becoming a more dynamic category. We always try to ensure newness in our offer so that the passengers that are coming back will see something different.
Now with the open-skies agreement, we are expecting more international passengers and so we are looking to offer more contemporary jewellery with a wider appeal.
In 2008 we will continue with the development of self-select units across all brands. We have installed Swarovski and Pilgrim self-select units. Charm bracelets continue to be popular and we still have smaller suppliers that are going down that route.”
World Duty Free, London Heathrow
WDF has revamped its jewellery offer for the opening of its most prestigious duty-free outlet this month, London Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Like all the suppliers involved in the terminal, jewellery companies have raised their game by producing new merchandising units with environmentally-friendly materials and new design concepts. Debbie Ansell, head of beauty and luxury goods for World Duty Free, gives us a taste of what passengers can expect from the jewellery offer in the eagerly-awaited Terminal 5.
“Swarovski is the biggest brand for us and we will also feature Pilgrim and Hot Diamonds, who are offering some of their more premium ranges. Our top price-point for jewellery is, at the moment, around £100, but we will be moving this higher and going more premium on price, though we will still be concentrating on sterling silver.
We will also be introducing some new brands that can offer something different to the consumer, such as Georg Jenson. Will be having some of the items in self-service units. Hot Diamonds, for instance, has a new unit [in Grand View Central jewellery section within Harrods]. Hot Diamonds is also creating a limited edition special T5 ‘charm’ with an aeroplane for us.”
Alpha Retail
Alpha currently has operations at 47 airports in 13 countries. The jewellery category is growing in significance for the retailer. Category buyer for jewellery and watches for Alpha Retail, Helen Boyle, talks to Frontier about consumer trends for 2008 and the success of Alpha’s “Bling” jewellery, which is specially made for the retailer.
“Jewellery is an important growth category for Alpha, though the space dedicated to the sector varies from store to store. In terms of brands we offer Swarovski, Pave, Siren, Oi!, Adele Marie, Martin James (Bling Jewellery), Guess, CK Jeans, Kenzo, Misaki, Hot Diamonds, Fossil Fashion, Silver and many new brands that we are working on launching his year.
The buzz around charm bracelets and self-service jewellery will absolutely continue into 2008. Self-service is a big growth area, and charms will continue to grow.
Our ‘Bling’ jewellery will continue to be very strong (rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets), and offers good quality at affordable prices. We are in the middle of range reviews for spring/summer at the moment, so there are still lots of new products to see. ‘Bling’ continues to be very exciting for Alpha.”
A Supplier’s perspective
Like retailers, suppliers have to be on the ball when it comes to predicting trends and keeping an eye on other brands. Travel-retail supplier the Zero Group has had particular success with its Carlucci and Carlo Gioielliere jewellery. Keeley Hamblin-Smith, international sales and marketing manager for Carlucci, and Richard Thorpe, international sales and marketing director for Cat Design, give Frontier their views of the year ahead.
Hamblin-Smith
“In terms of trends, we are constantly assessing the marketplace and watching what the fashion houses and high street are doing. At the same time, as a travel-retail supplier we need to keep the trend in accessories fairly classic to cater for all age groups.
This season we have concentrated on geometric shapes, bringing in new textures to the materials we use. We have also developed a fair amount of two-tone jewellery, not only to keep up with fashion trends but also to cater for our international market.
The two-tone pieces have been extremely successful for Carlucci, and items from the new Carlucci
Italiana range have a broad cross-section of two-tone items, as well as a variety of textures and shapes.
From this season’s high fashion the use of ‘stars’ is very much in vogue, and again the new Carlucci Italiana range features stars among its pieces.”
Thorpe
“The Carlo Gioielliere 2008 charm bracelets are being very well-received, and listings for these products will be significantly higher this summer than last. The recent trend in charm jewellery is certain to continue for the foreseeable future.
The new Carlo range also includes various circular designs in both bracelets and pendants. The range continues to offer two- or even three-colour items that have proved to be very successful. One of the biggest sellers is the three-tone ball necklace and bracelet set, which comes with a free pair of matching earrings.
This item has sold wherever it has been listed and it has even made the Top 10 sellers on Aer Lingus, out of the airline’s total products on board.
We have also incorporated some additional items in a gold finish this year. This has been as a direct result from client requests and the company’s growth in the Middle East.”
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