Some businessmen may balk at making yet another trans-Atlantic flight.
But when the opportunity arose for Davidoff chief executive Christian Schaffner to travel from Switzerland to Canada to help launch the brand here, he jumped at the chance.
“Canada is one of our focus markets for next year,” he tells Jewellery Business. “One of the reasons for that is we have the right partners in place,” he says referring to Sothil, Davidoff’s Canadian distributor.
The shimmering chandelier and seemingly mile-high bay windows of Montreal’s Le Crystal Hotel served as the backdrop for Davidoff’s official launch in Canada, which gathered about 75 retailers, prospective dealers, media, and family and friends.
Similar events are in the works next year for Toronto and Vancouver, as Sothil continues to build its dealer base in key markets. How is it doing that?
“We have gone back to the roots of a salesperson, which is to visit accounts and open the right doors with relationships that are already established,” says Sothil co-owner, Sean Polan. “That was the first phase. Trade advertising and the event in Montreal were the start of the second phase. Consumer advertising will come next.”
Chris Iliopoulos, Polan’s business partner, says Davidoff’s international efforts will also contribute to building brand recognition in the Great White North.
“That is helping the Canadian market indirectly because there are boutiques worldwide,” he notes. “Davidoff is a name that people recognize and will recognize even further with the addition of more [concept stores].”
John Burns, Davidoff’s commercial director, says the Canadian luxury landscape is a good fit for the Davidoff brand, which includes watches, leather goods, pens, and perfume.
“One of the main highlights of the Canadian market for us is the sincerity and loyalty of the clientele here, and we focus quite heavily on that with our strategy to open up points of sale.”
Those points of sale may include retailers Sothil already counts among its customer base for its two other watch lines, U-Boat and Welder. Polan sees the brands, which are polar opposites of each other in design, as complementary.
“When I look at Davidoff, I don’t just see the watches. I see the leather goods, writing instruments, cufflinks, belts, etc.,” he explains. “It’s a totally different category, which to me makes it a perfect fit with our other lines.”
So who is Davidoff’s ideal client?
“We refer to him as the ‘curious global citizen,'” Schaffner says. “He’s the modern gentleman of today, who cares about timeless elegance, and subtle, good-quality products. His female counterpart is a woman who is self-assured in the same way, is independent, knows what she wants, and is the perfect partner to the curious global citizen.”
Sounds like a match made in heaven, just like Davidoff and Sothil.
