Raymond Weil settles into new Manchester headquarters

Swiss watch brand Raymond Weil has settled into its new Manchester headquarters.

The family-owned brand told WatchPro about its plans last year but it only officially picked up the keys to the new offices, just off St Peter’s Square in Manchester, on 2 July.

After becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raymond Weil Genève in 2013 (previously having been distributed in the UK by Swico), the move to new premises in Manchester is seen as another key step in providing the highest level of support for the brand’s retail partners.

The sales, marketing, training and finance teams will now be operating under the same roof. An aftersales team will follow in September, which will be in addition to Swico, which Raymond Weil will continue to use as an official aftersales service centre.

Craig Leach, brand director of Raymond Weil in the UK and mastermind behind the Manchester move, said: “Our requirements were to find a home where our customers can become immersed in the world of Raymond Weil and have all our facilities under one roof. Training has become a major factor in the brand’s development and something we intend to strengthen in our training suite.

“Why Manchester? Well, geographically it is centrally placed in the UK with over a third of the population within a two-hour drive from us along with excellent public transport links if needed. It is a vibrant, dynamic and forward-thinking city which is currently the fastest growing in the UK. The city has access to a large and highly-skilled workforce across the North West.”

Leach also told WatchPro about the personal draw of Manchester for him.

“We had initially been looking at a central London location but, despite many searches of locations around the capital, we found nothing that was ideal.

“Sadly, this was the time when the Manchester bombing took place at the Manchester Arena, and as Official Timing Partner of the venue this personally affected me as I had family and friends at the concert that evening. The following days saw how Manchester reacted to the dreadful events that had happened that evening and what a vibrant and strong city Manchester is. At this point I spoke to Elie and asked him ‘What about Manchester?’”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Leach will be giving WatchPro an exclusive tour of Raymond Weil’s new Manchester offices, with the full interview and report being available to read in September’s issue.