Girard-Perregaux opened its first boutique in Switzerland this week, with a store in Geneva run by its retail partner Bucherer.
The company also confirmed to WatchPro that a showroom will be opening in London this year.
A design concept is rolling out world-wide with a relaxed atmosphere, light on product and heavy on hospitality, where collectors and enthusiasts can gather and talk about watches over a coffee or cocktail.
The Geneva boutique, the 20th for the brand world-wide, picks up the design of GP stores already open in Asia, with mirrored walls giving a sense of space and smooth sculptural wooden slats allowing in light while bringing a sensual luxury to the store.
Bucherer has converted one of its former multibrand showrooms into the Girard-Perregaux boutique, which sits on the corner of Quai du Mont Blanc and Rue Du Mont-Blanc, just on the northern end of Mont-Blanc Bridge.
It is a high footfall location, but the other side of the lake to Bucherer’s flagship showroom and the cluster of luxury watch brands on and around Rue Du Rhone.
“This new boutique is a destination, a place where the public can experience our brand — not just our products, but also our spirit,” says Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux.
“In this space, we show where we are from, what we do and who we are. I am convinced that working in collaboration with Bucherer we can deliver high levels of customer service and pro- vide a purchasing experience second to none.”
Patrick Graf, chief commercial officer at Bucherer, agrees. “Bucherer and Girard-Perregaux already look back on a longstanding collaboration, having launched some strictly limited high end timepieces together, that were exclusively available at Bucherer boutiques. Girard-Perregaux’s rich brand heritage and vast experience in making luxury watches perfectly complements our carefully curated portfolio. Sharing the same entrepreneurial values, we are excited to further leverage the collaboration and enter a new stage in our partnership now,” he says.
Girard-Perregaux has been on a roll since it was bought, along with stablemate Ulysse Nardin, from Kering Group last year.
According to Morgan Stanley’s annual report on the state of the Swiss watch industry, GP sales rose to CHF 78 million in 2022, helping it to jump into the top 50 watchmakers at number 40.
The brand’s bestselling Laureato range has been soaring in popularity.
Waiting lists for the watch have been growing, and this has been pushing prices up on the secondary market.
