A magnificent seven stars of the British watch retail industry made the list of finalists for this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Retail Award, but there could be only one winner.
In the ten years that WatchPro has been tracking the financial performance of The Watches of Switzerland Group (formerly Aurum Holdings), turnover has tripled to reach around £700 million, including sales in America.
Leading the company through that meteoric rise has been chief executive Brian Duffy, who capped his career achievements with the group by steering it through an initial public offering earlier this year that valued the company at over $1 billion.
The story is about much more than numbers. Mr Duffy has assembled one of the most effective leadership teams of any watch and jewellery retail group on either side of the Atlantic, and set new standards for the watch watches should be presented and sold in spectacular showrooms.
Among a short list of exceptional finalists, almost half (43%) of the 155 watch brand executives who voted in this category chose Mr Duffy, demonstrating the esteem in which he is held.
