brandon1
842
Good points.
I wonder if the high-end brands have difficulty equalizing inventory across their boutique networks. I often read posts about the lack of any steel Rolex sport models in stock, wait lists being closed, etc., while at the same time I've seen a couple local ADs near me with some great steel pieces in stock in the windows. Granted, that's at the AD level which is a bit different than the boutique experience you've described. I haven't been in about a year, but the RM 'boutique' inside Harrods is always well stocked with their mainstream pieces, along with some exceptional pieces.
Anyway...very interested to see what others have to say.
Cheers,
Brandon
Why Does Richard Mille Bother Having Boutiques??
I do understand that Richard Mille is a tremendously successful brand and global demand for their timepieces purposely outstrips their production supply. So, it should come as no surprise that RM boutiques are hardly over-flowing with inventory. But at so...
AP suffered from the same problem, at least here, that's why they cut-down on their dealer network,
less dealers but therefore "more" to show at the remaing ones. I find the problem as describe also very disturbing but it seems to be common, Hermes is indeed a very very good example. I don't understand it, I can't be that hard for a brand to compare the...
AP AD’s in Singapore have empty shelves.
You can only reliably get to try stuff in the boutiques.
Good points.
I wonder if the high-end brands have difficulty equalizing inventory across their boutique networks. I often read posts about the lack of any steel Rolex sport models in stock, wait lists being closed, etc., while at the same time I've seen a couple local...
Hermès Hermès....many ladies want a Birkin bag...
and you walk in to any H store, they either tell you they don’t know what’s coming tomorrow and/or not available, long waiting list etc... I’m so frustrated after many years trying to get one for my wife and not understanding the trade. Many online sugges...
I'm so over Hermes...
I'm so over Hermes, I actually feel a little sorry for the people who wait forever trying to get a belt or a bag. But my disdain for Hermes has come back to haunt me. I ended up getting my new favorite belt... Which cost a fortune. My moral of my story; H...
Wow.
Had no clue how brazen the practice is. I strongly dislike even LV business practice not to begin to contemplate the level of condemnation for what you described. Thank you for posting, cheers, Filip
That’s quite interesting.
To be honest, I’ve had much better treatment getting B or K bags than PP or Rolex sports models... Trying to get the latter I feel I should bend over and let them have their way with me...
The irony for me...
Is that the people they court by this form of marketing are likely to be the least desirable and most fickle of customer. In my opinion anyway.
Yup all from the Hermès st Honoré flagship
On our last trip in February we got the ostrich in red ...
When in paris try to stay at one of the top tier hotels such as the peninsula or plaza Athene or the Bristol just to name a few
Let the concierge book you an appointment and after that I guarantee you will come out with what you want
Nice, I’ll try that in Paris next time...Thanks.
When I was in Dubai, I stayed at the Burj Al Arab, mentioned that in Hermès store it didn’t work 🤣🤣🤣, maybe Dubai market is different.
Raymond, I think you may be missing the point
It's not about telling the boutique where you are staying, it's about letting the concierge - who has the reputation and connections in the city - set you up for success. A great concierge is essential for any top 5 Star hotel in assisting their clientele...
Hmm... Didn't work for me...
I stayed at a major Place Vendome hotel and concierge couldn't even make the appointment at Hermes for me. The concierge could make an appointment at Louis Vuitton and many other stores, but just not Hermes. Concierge said Hermes specifically asked all co...
Really my last trip was in Feb and I stayed at the Royal monceau and even before I arrived I called them and informed them that I wanted a reservation and told them what I was looking for
As soon as I arrived to the hotel they gave me a note with the reservation time Went to Hermès and came out with ...
Hmm... And this was just three months ago in February?
I was in Paris just last week. That's a gorgeous bag! Congrats! 28cm Kelly?
I'll give that a shot...
I'm not crazy about Hermes stuff anymore, but, I'll give it a try... Staying at a top tier hotel in Paris, Check. Have concierge make booking, Okay, I'll do that...
And make it clear to the concierge that you expect to get one , put the pressure on
I swear I’ve done this more than five times from three different hotels and every single time I got out with either a berkin or Kelly and in different sizes My wife has literally all the sizes now with different colors and leather type
Lucky you Mohannad....they no longer doing that 😔
See this reply from Le Royal Monceau, sigh and sop 😭 ...
I was staying at another very high end hotel. They couldn't do it either.
Oh well... I think things have changed. Oh well, Hermes isn't that great anyways. At Quail in Carmel, California, everyone's had Hermes for several years, a sea of Hermes, dozens of Richard Milles, nothing is special. Try the Camille Fournet shop on Rue C...
The "Business" part of the watch business is always off putting...
I'd swear off Richard Mille for good if I didn't like the stuff so much! Ugh... I still remember liking the RM011 back when nobody liked them and they were freely available. And one of the moderators of this website let me borrow his RM-011 for a couple o...
I went to the Singapore boutique recently...
And I've been to the Beverly Hills boutique and Las Vegas boutique in the past several months and yes, they are usually empty. I went to the Singapore boutique recently. Good staff, very knowledgeable, very friendly, very patient. They know they're workin...
Too bad, I would've liked to have met!
But I enjoyed my stay to Singapore. I'll have to come back!
That's the time to find something new. Try an Urwerk...
The Urwerk stuff is SO MUCH FUN and I've really got a soft spot for Felix. We were both sick during the beginning of SIHH and sipping tea on the mend while discussing technology and design. What a delight it was to talk to Felix; he'd be even more enjoyab...
+1 on URWERK!!
I may / may not ever own an RM 11-03 Full Rose Gold, but I think I'll be okay as long as I have my URWERK 110 Best, NickO ...
Oh, I love that place!
My favorite shop in Geneva. The team there deserves so much credit too. Monsieur Hervé is just AMAZING! The MB&F team is in general amazing. Charris, Juliette, and Max are all incredible people whom are genuine and real. Max is quite humble and not "bigge...
It is really rare...
At the end of the day, buying a cool and funky watch like a Richard Mille, MB&F, and Urwerk is all about having good fun! It shouldn't be serious (it better have seriously good watchmaking though for the money), it shouldn't have so many hoops nor trouble...
Hanoi..
I was in Hanoi at the weekend and popped in to the boutique at the Metrapole. A great inventory (although I wasn’t looking at the 11s) and a very helpful team. Not sure about the 35s either but 67s and other high end and ladies versions. Certainly if you ...
Where were the collectors when RMs watches were all highly discounted on the shelves?
It seems that the more you pay, the more you crave for something. RM has turned out to be an expensive and highly desired brand like Hermes, LV, etc. I could ask where were the collectors when the AP15202 was rejected by anyone (except those real WIS). Cu...
RM
For a while wasn’t doing that well and Richard Mille was looking to sell the brand.
This routinely happens at Patek boutiques, too...
I was looking for a 5146, 5205, 5296 and 5396 in Zurich, Interlaken and Prague, the places I have been traveling lately. As they had none of these in the shop, I was also wondering what they need the boutiques for... I wish they could at least produce dum...
Does that make it any better?
I honestly don’t care whether it is a salon or an AD, especially since Patek has only three salons - and these are in Geneva, Paris and London only.
I agree but...
On the other side I fear that one day any sale will be online. I use amazon etc as anyone but somehow it makes me feel better knowing that there are actual storeas outside...just don't like the short supply anywhere, it's useless and also I read many comm...
I cant blame the watch houses as much as I can blame the sheer stupidity of the Central bankers creating this unprecedented money pool. All this risk free money is chasing..
...alternate asset classes beyond the normal investment vehicles. We still have crisis level rates after a full decade of recovery and beyond. Money has no other place to go - Negative interest rates for keeping money in bank has these consequences. Cash ...
For me, it is more a question of image.
Thanks for the interesting discussion. But for brands, it is very important to make the network as prestigious as possible. So whenever it is possible, they pin point bolutiques in very selected areas. When you several boutiques in such locations, you app...
I was also on the hunt!
For the almighty H belt. Same story at boutique. I found mine online on there website. You just had to check everyday. When I went to pull the trigger I decided I didn't want the H one and end up getting a different buckle. Honestly the hunt made me obses...
it puzzled me too, but boutique still has its own function
yes, you are totally right when it comes to that the showcase function of the RM boutique is almost gone. but still the function of CRM still there. the point is that the operation team should understand the importance of the customer relationship managem...