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☆ China’s growing love of luxury watches remains strong, despite economic headwinds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Leona Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Despite economic challenges looming large — including prolonged downturns in both the housing and stock market — China’s fascination with luxury watches remains undiminished. Cyril Zingaro/WWGF/KeystoneCertainly at this year’s fair, well-dressed, well-accessorized Chinese customers appeared unfazed by economic uncertainties. After more than 20 years working in the region, he believes China’s economic slowdown is just a temporary phase. “The situation may be slightly (more) challenging for mid-level luxury brands (whose clients’ disposable incomes are potentially more at the whim of market forces). Collectors appreciate the craftsmanship, rarity, and heritage associated with luxury timepieces, which can hold or increase in value over time.

Persons: Matthieu Humair, Cyril Zingaro, Jackson Yee, Jaeger, Zhu Yilong, Wang Yang, Xiao Zhan, David Sadigh, Patek Philippe, Van Cleef, ” Sadigh, Valentin Flauraud, ”, Ricardo Guadalupe, “ We’ve, Pierre Albouy, Keystone Carson Chan, Richard Mille Asia, Bonhams, ” Chan, Raphael Young, Lange, Söhne, Wilhelm Schmid, Lumen, Chan, Vacheron, Young, Roger Dubuis, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci — Chanel, Hermes, Hermès, Attelé, Chanel, Mademoiselle Chanel, “ Organizations: Geneva CNN —, Federation of, Swiss Watch Industry, IWC, Digital Luxury, CNN, Keystone, Fondation, “, Berkley, Couture Locations: Geneva, China, Hong Kong, Asia, Switzerland, Chopard, Europe, “, Asia — China, Guadalupe, Swiss, watchmaking

☆ Watches and Wonders 2024: The best women’s watches on show
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Sarah Royce-Greensill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Women’s watches have undergone something of a transformation in recent years, moving beyond an outdated “shrink it and pink it” design school of thought. Courtesy HermèsThe Cut is Hermès’ first new, in-house-designed women’s watch for 20 years — and it’s worth the wait. It also comes in rose gold, diamond-dusted white gold, and in two seriously special High Jewelry iterations which feature stripes of coloured hardstones. Courtesy ChopardBaby blue seems to be the hue for women’s watches this year, and Chopard’s new Happy Sport is a delicious example. Continuing the blue theme, it eschews razzle-dazzle for a confidently chic combination of white gold and lustrous lacquer, in a newly slimmed-down silhouette.

Persons: Patek Philippe, Cartier, Chanel, Couture, Boyfriend Couture, Chanel Chanel’s Couture, Coco Chanel, Van Cleef, Van, you’d, Carrera, Piaget Piaget, They’re, Vacheron Constantin Grand Lady Kalla Vacheron Constantin Grand Lady, Constantin Vacheron Constantin, Kalla Organizations: CNN, Chopard, TAG, IWC, Schaffhausen Locations: Geneva, Switzerland

☆ Richemont monitoring situation at online luxury retailer Farfetch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of the luxury goods company Richemont is pictured at its headquarters in Bellevue near Geneva, Switzerland, June 2, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Acquire Licensing RightsZURICH, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Cartier-jewellery owner Richemont (CFR.S) on Wednesday said it was "carefully monitoring" the situation after Farfetch's FTCH.N founder said he was considering taking the online luxury retailer private. Richemont, which also owns several Swiss watch brands, said it has no financial obligation to Farfetch and does not envisage lending or investing into the company. "Richemont is carefully monitoring the situation, including reviewing its options in respect of its arrangements with Farfetch, announced on 24 August 2022, which remain subject to certain terms and outstanding conditions," the company said. Richemont's brands, which also include watchmakers IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre, have been working on transferring their online businesses to Farfetch's technology.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Farfetch's FTCH.N, Farfetch, Richemont, Porter, John Revill, Miranda Murray Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Cartier, watchmakers IWC, Jaeger, Thomson Locations: Bellevue, Geneva, Switzerland, U.S, YNAP, Farfetch

☆ Cartier owner Richemont sees growth easing as economic worries rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Richemont's constant currency sales growth eased from a 19% rate in the April to June period to a 5% rate in the following three months. The company posted a profit of 1.51 billion euros, worse than the 2.17 billion euros forecast by analysts in a consensus cited by Zuercher Kantonalbank. "Growth eased in the second quarter as inflationary pressure, slowing economic growth and geopolitical tensions began to affect customer sentiment, compounded by strong comparatives," said Chairman Johann Rupert in a statement. "Consequently, we have seen a broad-based normalisation of market growth expectations across the industry." While jewellery - traditionally more resilient to economic swings - continued to shine with constant currency sales up 9%, watch sales fell 4%.

Persons: Regis, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, LVMH, Zuercher Kantonalbank, Johann Rupert, Kepler, Jon Cox, John Revill, Mimosa, Miranda Murray, Shri Navaratnam, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Cartier, Vendome, REUTERS, Rights, IWC, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Swiss, United States, Europe, China

☆ How the Azores islands went from whale hunting to whale watching
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Anne Pinto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Soon, factories processing whale oil, meat and bones sprung up on the islands. After crude oil was discovered in 1859, the demand for whale oil decreased dramatically in the following decades. In 1990, French national Serge Viallele set up the first whale watching company in the archipelago, on Pico island. The number of whale watching boats is strictly limited by a license system, which issues a maximum number per island – or per zone for the smaller islands. For now, whale watching remains a major draw for visitors to the islands.

Persons: ”, Rui de Souza Martins, Azorean, they’d, De Agostini, –, – didn’t, José Carlos Garcia, São Miguel, Pedro Madruga, wasn’t, Francois Gohier, Serge Viallele, “ Viallele, Miguel Cravinho, Francisco Garcia, ” de Souza Martins, you’ll, Martin Zwick, Jean, Michel Cousteau, Luís Silva, Garcia, “ Organizations: CNN, University of, Whaling, Whalers, Netflix, International Whaling Commission, IWC, Azul, World Cetacean Alliance, Centre for Research Locations: Azores, Lisbon, Azoreans, Portugal, United States, Nantucket and New Bedford , Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Pico, Francois, Terra Azul, Miguel, Europe

☆ Vaquita porpoise: Extinction alert issued for critically endangered marine mammal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Amaya Mcdonald | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The International Whaling Commission released its first-ever extinction alert Monday to warn of the potential danger facing the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. The scientific committee believes the vaquita population has a chance of recovery if stronger enforcement is placed on the ban on gillnets in their habitat. The vaquita population has varied from a few thousand to 5,000 over the last 250,000 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But maintaining a small population for so long has actually helped the vaquitas, which have a 21-year lifespan, reducing the risks of inbreeding because they have less genetic variation among them. The marine mammals are also less susceptible to harmful genetic mutations that might otherwise cause their offspring to die.

Persons: ” Vaquitas “, Kate Wilson, ” Kirk Lohmueller, CNN’s Kristen Rogers Organizations: CNN, Whaling Commission, International Union for Conservation, IWC, Gulf of, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, University of California Locations: Gulf of California, Mexico, Gulf, China, Mexico’s Gulf of California, Cortez, Los Angeles

☆ Extinction alert issued for Mexico's threatened vaquita porpoise
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A mother and calf vaquita, a critically endangered small tropical porpoise native to MexicoÕs Gulf of California, surface in the waters off San Felipe, Mexico in this handout picture taken in 2008. Paula Olson/NOAA Fisheries/Handout via REUTERS/ File PhotoMEXICO CITY, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The International Whaling Commission (IWC) said on Monday it has issued an extinction alert for the endangered vaquita porpoise, whose population is estimated to have shrunk to less than a dozen, marking the institution's first-ever extinction warning. The critically endangered vaquita, the world's smallest porpoise and native to Mexico's Gulf of California, has been imperiled by illegal gill net fishing for an endangered fish called the totoaba, whose bladder is highly valued in Asia. The alert, the IWC said, stems from its belief that a new mechanism is needed "to voice extinction concerns for an increasing range of cetacean species and populations." "The extinction of the vaquita is inevitable unless 100% of gillnets are substituted immediately with alternative fishing gears that protect the vaquita and the livelihoods of fishers," it said.

Persons: Paula Olson, Matthew Lewis Organizations: NOAA Fisheries, REUTERS, Whaling Commission, IWC, U.S, Carolina, Thomson Locations: MexicoÕs Gulf of California, San Felipe, Mexico, MEXICO, Mexico's Gulf of California, Asia, U.S

☆ Longevity pioneer Peter Attia explains why the quest to live longer is constrained by the US healthcare system
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The ultra-wealthy are betting on tech and science breakthroughs to live longer. Longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia explained why preventative care like that still isn't widespread. The ultra wealthy have been shelling out to live longer for some time. In his view, there's a key obstacle standing in the way of your long-term health, ironically: the U.S. healthcare system. Attia's definition of longevity is a function of lifespan, the number of years you live, and healthspan, how well you can live them.

Persons: Peter Attia, There's, podcaster Rich, Attia, Rich —, Bryan Johnson's, Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, OpenAI's Sam Altman, we'll, it's, Rich Roll, Stefanie Keenan, Roll Organizations: Morning, Aetna, Tech, IWC Schaffhausen, behemoth Locations: U.S, Los Angeles, Canada

CNN —Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest sportsmen of his generation, a seven-time world champion and an influential philanthropist. “The crazy thing is I’m in my 17th year of this sport […] I’m still grafting. I’m still having to work like never before to be able to excel in a sport that’s constantly evolving. “There’s not a lot of Black equity and Black leadership within sports in general, so that’s something I’m really passionate about being a part of changing. I’m really grateful for it.

☆ Japan launches whale meat vending machines to promote sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

“As a result, many consumers who want to eat it cannot find or buy whale meat. Kashiwabara says she is aware of the whaling controversy but that whale meat brings back her childhood memories of eating it at family dinners and school lunches. But whale meat is part of Japanese food culture and we can respect the lives of whales by appreciating their meat,” Kashiwabara said. Still, conservative governing lawmakers staunchly support commercial whaling and consumption of the meat as part of Japan’s cultural tradition. Conservationists say whale meat is no longer part of the daily diet in Japan, especially for younger generations.

☆ Japan whaling firm pins hopes on vending machines to revive sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Chris Gallagher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] A customer buys whale meat on the opening day of the shop by a Japanese whale-hunting company with vending machines, in Yokohama, Japan, January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki ChristodoulouYOKOHAMA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A Japanese whaling firm unveiled vending machines offering whale sashimi, whale steak and whale bacon in Yokohama on Tuesday in hopes of reviving sales of a food long in decline and shunned by many supermarkets. At its peak in 1962, annual whale meat consumption was 233,000 tonnes. Conservationists say moves to promote whale meat are desperate attempts to revive interest in a struggling business. Whale meat advocates point to its high protein content and low carbon footprint compared with other meats.

☆ Luxury eyes focused on China after Richemont's Q3 sales miss
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Q3 sales rise by 8% but miss market forecastsMainland China sales drop 24%Company says customer demand in China now picking upAll eyes on China for luxury sector, say analystsZURICH, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Cartier jewellery maker Richemont (CFR.S) missed market forecasts during its latest quarter as the resurgence of COVID-19 in China hit sales there, highlighting the country's importance for the luxury sector. Richemont, whose other brands include Swiss watchmakers IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre, has been seeing strong sales growth in Europe, the Middle East and Japan, particularly for jewellery. But the mainland Chinese market - which accounts for about a fifth of the group's sales, according to Zuercher Kantonalbank estimates - struggled with sales down 24% in constant currency terms. The prospect of a pickup in Chinese sales meant analysts were not too worried by Richemont's quarterly miss. "The catch-up from Chinese consumers will come as strong as sales decelerated in 3Q, as they were able to save money during the lockdowns."

LONDON/ZURICH, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Luxury retailers Richemont (CFR.S) and Burberry (BRBY.L) said they were optimistic that consumers in China would start spending again, helping offset three years of upheaval from the government's strict COVID-19 lockdowns and soaring infections. Richemont (CFR.S), whose brands include Cartier jewellery and Swiss watches IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre, also said it expected a strong rebound in China. The European luxury sector is among the largest expected winners as China loosens COVID-19 restrictions that kept shoppers out of stores for months. Richemont missed market estimates after sales in China plunged by a quarter, as customer traffic dwindled and staff were not available, leading to a reduction of boutique hours, or temporary closures of sales points, the company said. Mainland China is currently 25% of Burberry sales, down from about 40% pre-pandemic.

The maker of IWC and Piaget watches surprised to the upside by reporting sales and operating profit from continuing operations rising by a quarter during the six months to the end of September. Jewellery sales rose by 24% in the period, with customers snapping up collections such as Cartier's Clash and Trinity rings and necklaces. The figures also showed the quality of the group's brands, "particularly its best in class jewellery business", Cox added. But from continuing operations, which removed the impact of the write-down and YNAP's losses, Richemont's profit increased by 40% to 2.1 billion euros. The latest results showed "excellent sales growth, profit and cash flow results", he added.

☆ Luxury group Richemont sounds cautious note on cost-of-living pressures
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Still, from its continuing operations, which removed the impact of the write-down and the contribution from YNAP, Richemont's profit increased by 40% to 2.1 billion euros and profit margins improved. Sales increased by 24% to 9.67 billion euros, helped by a recovery in the Asia Pacific region and double-digit percentage sales growth in all other regions as previously locked-down customers returned to its luxury boutiques. Chairman Johann Rupert described the figures as "another set of strong results," but added a note of caution about the future. "Richemont is well known for giving cautious guidance, which this time is to the point, considering the ongoing tough environment," Bertschy said. ($1 = 0.9785 euros)Reporting by John Revill, Editing by Miranda Murray & Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ (foto) 10 idei geniale care au adus publicitatea la un nou nivel
▼ + stars: | 2015-09-29 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: 1 min

(foto) 10 idei geniale care au adus publicitatea la un nou nivelO publicitate creativă mereu o să atragă atenția publicului și, desigur, multe branduri încearcă să utilizeze metode inovative, pentru a capta potențialul consumator. Vopseaua pentru păr, Wella#3. Cuțite WMF, mai ascuțite decât par#7. O parcare sigură cu Volkswagen#10. Aerul e mai proaspăt decât afară, cu aerul condiționat PanasonicVeronica Railean

Organizations: Honda, Volkswagen Locations: halbe

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