WatchPro does not obsess about social media, despite having almost 20,000 Twitter and Facebook followers along with almost 7,000 people receiving their watch business news via the LinkedIn feed of editor Rob Corder.
But we do understand the power of high profile industry stars sharing our content, so were delighted to see last night that Georges Kern, Breitling’s chief executive, enjoyed our investigation into his first two years in the job by sharing it on LinkedIn to his thousands of followers.
The article, SWOT Report, Georges Kern’s first two years at Breitling, was written by Tom Mulraney, publisher of The Watch Lounge.
It explores the way Mr Kern has been dramatically editing the brand’s watch line up, taking a fresh approach to marketing with the development of its brand ambassador ‘squads’, and investment in its global network of stores run directly or through retail partners.
The strategy appears to be yielding results, with Swiss investment bank Vontobel estimating that sales at Breitling rose by 12% last year.
Since 2017, 80% of the business has been owned by London-based private equity group, CVC Capital Partners, who appeared to make the acquisition on the understanding that Mr Kern would take over as CEO.
