Whether culture shapes brands or brands shape culture is a chicken or egg question. Both are inextricably linked, and a review of the academic literature doesn’t help tease out which comes first. Rather, the research focuses on how culture influences consumer’s perceptions of brands, not the role that brands play in influencing culture. Bernard Arnault, […]
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RSS feed for this sectionStudy In Contrasts: Kering And Gucci Go Down And LVMH Is Up, Up, Up
The French luxury conglomerate Kering, number two in the global luxury market, just issued a rare warning that first-quarter revenues are expected to decline 10% from last year’s $5.5 billion (€5.1 billion) and projects its flagship brand Gucci to be off nearly 20%, down from $2.8 billion (€2.6 billion). Kering cites particular weakness in the […]
Zulily To Return After Being Acquired For $4.5 Million By Beyond
The recently defunct flash-sale site Zulily may finally have found a fitting corporate home after two unsuccessful tries by TV-shopping giant Qurate and investment firm Regent. Beyond Inc., the old Overstock.com reborn after the acquisition of Bed Bath and Beyond’s IP assets, just announced it acquired the intellectual property assets of online retailer Zulily for […]
Luxury Marketplaces Hang On By A Thread, With The Exception Of Mytheresa
The viability of online multi-brand luxury marketplaces has been an open question for years as the most prominent names, like Farfetch, Richemont-owned Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP) and Matches, have been unable to make a profitable success in the business. Despite luxury marketplaces’ early promise, recent developments suggest that luxury consumers simple don’t need online marketplaces to […]
In A Challenged Luxury Furniture Market, Arhaus Swims Against The Tide
Furniture retailers got an unwelcomed surprise last year. After advancing 24% from 2019 to 2022 – rising from $64.2 billion to $80 billion – sales dropped nearly 6% to $75.3 billion in 2023. But that’s nothing compared to the decline in the high-end luxury furniture market. Some of the weaker companies, like Mitchell Gold + […]