Globe-trotters, a British luggage brand more than 100 years old, is doing a little bit of globetrotting itself.
The favorite luxury label of Queen Elizabeth II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary have traveled to Los Angeles to open their first US store.
Worldwide Retail is a new venture for the company, which has only two other stores in the world – one opened in London in 2014 and an outpost established in 2016 in Tokyo’s Ginza district.
Los Angeles was chosen because California is the number one market in the US for the globe-trotter’s collection of vulcanized fiberboard suitcases, and Los Angeles is the number one city for American consumers.
“Globe-trotters have been used over the years by celebrities in Hollywood and by people in the film and music industry,” Globe-Trotter CEO Vicente Castellano said in a phone call from Milan. “Obviously we thought it would be a good move to be closer to him.”
The 1,500-square-foot store at 8483 Melrose Place mixes some of the design innovations from the brand’s London store with contemporary and traditional interior features. Upon entering the store, there is a range of colorful suitcases from the brand’s Centennial, Original and Deluxe collections as well as models from collaborations with international brands including Rowing Blazers, Disney and Tyler.
The store also houses the “No Time to Die” collection, which is featured in the 2021 James Bond film alongside actor Daniel Craig.
Melrose Collection created for the opening of the new L.A. store. Courtesy globe-trotters.
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For the new L.A. store, the globe-trotters created the Melrose Luggage Capsule Collection, available only at the store. It features a range of classic globe-trotter styles with leather trim in three L.A.-inspired colors (yellow, holiday orange and moss), and with the globe-trotter North Star logo lining the interior of each piece with a multicolored palm. The shape of a tree. The globe-trotter is known for putting his logo on the inside of his carry-on pieces rather than the exterior, which appeals to those who like to be more discreet about their luggage brands.
The Melrose collection comes in four pieces: a handbag-shaped London Square, a briefcase briefcase, a carry-on case, and a large check-in model.
Most luxury brands setting up a new establishment in Los Angeles will choose Tony Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills to unveil their offerings. But Castellano said there were some factors that made the English company choose Melrose Place, another high-end shopping street.
“It was more about what was available for a reasonable rent and in a good location for us,” he said. “It’s not that one street is better than another.”
Since the store opened in late June, the globe-trotter’s CEO said the traffic hasn’t been huge, but it has been good at attracting quality customers coming through the doors. “We have a great selection of people who know about the brand, and then there are people to whom it is completely new, and they discovered it by passing it on.”
More US stores may come, especially in New York. “We wanted some time to figure it out [New York] landscape in other markets and the retail landscape before we consider additional locations,” Castellano said.
The company’s top market is in Japan, Europe is its second largest market, with the US in third place.
“Japan is recovering really well since March, but the COVID-19 cases are rising again. So we have to keep an eye on the situation. The Japanese are very cautious right now,” said Castellano, a Spanish businessman who years ago was licensee and international director. pepe jeansA Spanish denim label.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the global shutdown in early 2020 had a major economic impact on globe-trotters, as business relies on the travel industry and international jet setters.
The COVID-19 shutdown also occurred after Oakley Capital, a London-based private equity firm, acquired a majority of the brand from entrepreneur Toshiyasu Takubo for an undisclosed amount. “We signed and closed the deal in mid-March” [2020], recalled Castellano, who is also an operating partner at Oakley Capital. “But we have come into this brand with a long-term vision. We think the brand isn’t about the first few years.”
Still, the globe-trotter’s revenue fell from 30 percent to 40 percent in 2020. For the fiscal year that ends March 2023, Castellano said revenue is expected to grow more than 50 percent when Oakley Capital acquired the venture.
The pandemic forced the company to close its factory in England with 150 employees for three months. But the globe-trotter launched an e-commerce site and employees began developing new products.
On top of those innovations was a four-wheeled trolley in both carry-on and checked bag sizes. This was different from the two-wheel trolley model. The company also introduced watch cases, attachments, and scaled-down vanity cases that can double as a woman’s handbag. The Luggage label also produced a range of storage cases – some produced with knitwear designer Bella Freud.
The globe-trotter has a long history. It was founded in Germany in 1897 by British businessman David Nelken, who developed a technique for making suitcases using vulcanized fiberboard. The cases were lightweight but sturdy, using 14 layers of specially crafted paper.
To show just how sturdy their products were, the globe-trotters borrowed an elephant from Hamburg’s Zoological Garden in 1912 to stand atop a cabin trunk—with a catalog showing how one The cabin trunk can withstand the weight of a one ton pachyderm.
In 1932, the company moved to England, where it has been manufacturing globe-trotter luggage ever since.
Originally published at Pen 18
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