Family-owned companies are an increasingly rare breed in the luxury industry as large organisations have bought up smaller brands.
Earlier this year, Hublot was acquired by the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Group, and Gucci recently bought shares in Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard. And, while those brands will benefit from the distribution networks of their parent companies, Chopard is doing rather well nestled under the family tree.
Two years ago, the brand opened its 100th boutique in New York's Upper East Side on Madison Avenue. Long standing collaborations includes being the official partner of the Cannes Film Festival and as one of the top jewellers for red carpet events.
Chopard is a relative newcomer to Asia but its arrival has left an impression in the Southern China region and on the balance books at its Swiss headquarters. Its Asian headquarters opened in Hong Kong at the close of 2004 and the region is already one of Chopard's top markets globally.
Chopard's Hong Kong flagship boutique opened at the ifc mall in 2005 followed by three more boutiques at Pacific Place, Ocean Terminal and at the Peninsula Hong Kong shopping arcade, within the past two years. The brand has built up a strong network of retailers on the mainland, with more than 30 points of sale and nine boutiques in first-tier cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Its Macau boutique opened two years ago.
Chopard Hong Kong managing director Roland Buser said the small structure of a family-run company meant ideas and proposals could quickly be turned into reality. 'This is a big advantage,' Mr Buser said. 'We don't have corporate politics; we have one-on-one communication and this gives us freedom to move rather fast.'
Chopard is a year short of its 150th anniversary. It was established in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in Switzerland's Sonvillier region, which already had a reputation as a hub for quality watchmakers.
