British watchmaker and distributor Zeon had a major re-launch of Ingersoll in 2016, but that did not stop the business expanding overseas with the opening of a New York office, and driving up sales of its other brands, including Vivienne Westwood timepieces.
In an exclusive briefing for WatchPro, Zeon revealed that sales for Vivienne Westwood watches rose by 42% in 2016, bucking a wider industry trend that saw fashion watches priced at under £500 decline by over 14%, according to GfK data.
Those sales saw Vivienne Westwood grab market share from its rivals, rising from the 29th best-selling brand in the sub-£500 bracket in 2015 to 20th by the fourth quarter of 2016.
Among women’s watch brands in the sub-£500 market, Vivienne Westwood rose from 21st in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 11th for the same period in 2016.
Zeon says that the growth was due to its efforts with major multiples and key department stores. For example, the company produced exclusive editions of Vivienne Westwood watches for Beaverbrooks, Goldsmiths and Selfridges.
At the same time it created shop in shop positions for Goldsmiths, worked its way into 50 more locations with Beaverbrooks in 2016, and was taken on by Harvey Nichols for the first time.
