Audemars Piguet elevates retail experience with new AP House in Macau
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In an era where luxury retail is steering towards more immersive experiences over traditional sales methods, the revered Swiss Haute Horlogerie brand Audemars Piguet makes a bold statement by launching a new AP House in Macau, transforming the customer journey with an elevated experiential approach.
A welcoming home for watch aficionados
.jpg?itok=AE32gy2A "The Bar Pavilion on the mezzanine is a convivial space for guests to enjoy Audemars Piguet’s exclusive hospitality.")
Striving to offer a home-like retreat for its clientele and horology enthusiasts, the 149-year-old Le Brassus-based watchmaker’s innovative AP House blends exclusive hospitality with a celebration of its legacy and local charm. This fresh initiative, first unveiled in Milan in 2017, reinvents how customers interact with the brand, merging an appreciation for the meticulously crafted watches famed for their innovation with the storied past of the company in an environment reminiscent of a plush private residence.
The unique AP House hospitality concept was developed in collaboration with some of the manufacturer’s most valued clients. It reflects how founders Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet would engage in the 21st century - living a life centred around travelling the world and sharing their passion for beautiful watches. The Macau venue is part of an international ensemble of 23 AP Houses, each located in vibrant urban centres and cultural meccas, including Amsterdam, Hong Kong, London, New York, and Tokyo.
AP House Macau bolsters brand’s position in Greater China
.jpg?itok=bRq27hKu "The AP House Macau’s Garden Lounge features high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows to bring the outdoors in.")
The debut of the AP House on November 27 at the Shoppes at Four Seasons, Macau, marks a pivotal point for Audemars Piguet. Serving as the first AP House in Macau and the largest in the Greater Bay Area, the 900-square-meter establishment exemplifies how the brand is enhancing the customer retail atmosphere with experiential components and education, thereby reinforcing its influence in the Greater China market since opening its first AP House in Asia in 2018 in Hong Kong.
Peggy Hu, CEO of Audemars Piguet for the Greater China Region, expresses great pride in this new venture, highlighting the AP House in Macau as a significant milestone for the brand. “This unique space enables the brand to share its passion for horology and craftsmanship with guests from the Greater China region,” she said.
Blending heritage with modernity
.jpg?itok=7W5MN8oF "The wall-sized screen display showing the changing seasons in Le Brassus spans the dining area and beyond.")
The venue, realised in collaboration with the Hong Kong-based architecture and design firm LI&Co, bridges Audemars Piguet’s Swiss Jura roots with Macau’s vibrant heritage. The conceptual play of materials and forms, augmented with a strong sense of nature, reflects a calming ambience, resonating with Switzerland’s serene vistas alongside Macau’s bustling city pulse.
The contemporary interior features various areas designed for relaxation and socialisation. These include Asian garden-inspired spaces, extensive dining and lounge sections, a bar on the mezzanine, and a lush terrace, all paying homage to the natural splendour and cultural opulence of both locales. Details such as a wall-sized screen display that changes with the seasons in Le Brassus and shell motifs reminiscent of Macau’s fishing community roots further fuse the Swiss and Chinese elements, cementing Macau’s own traditional and cultural identity.
Revolutionising retail with experiential engagement
.jpg?itok=Aa-H536Y "The Masterclass Room provides the perfect setting for hands-on watchmaking sessions with AP watchmakers.")
The two-storey AP House in Macau transcends conventional retail spaces by providing an active setting for clients and visitors to connect with the brand’s legacy via interactive watchmaking experiences and exhibits. This model aligns with the brand’s strategic aspiration to integrate educational and experiential facets into its retail architecture, nurturing a deeper brand affiliation and reverence for horological artistry.
Ambitious expansion goals in Asia
In step with their pioneering retail philosophy, Audemars Piguet’s strategy is to elevate the retail experience with a rise in clientele expectations through 2025 and beyond. The firm is eyeing Asia for growth, with upcoming AP Houses in Shanghai and Beijing, and the upgrading of a temporary pop-up store in Taipei into a full-scale showroom. “The idea is to keep investing in this region and creating more distribution that helps our relationship with clients,” stated CEO Ilaria Resta.
To further push its Hong Kong footprint, the brand has recently relocated the city’s first AP House from H Queen’s to The Henderson in Central, spanning an impressive 12,000 sq ft. Moreover, the brand is expanding its second Hong Kong AP House in Tsim Sha Tsui by leasing extra space in K11 MUSEA.
Embracing a philosophy that melds high-end shopping with artistic and cultural lifestyle experiences for the discerning international clientele, Audemars Piguet’s strategy of regional augmentation illustrates a calculated approach to satisfying a burgeoning demand for engaged luxury encounters.