【英语财经】奢华珠宝商抢滩巴库 Brands battle for a piece of Baku’s flourishing retail scene

As oil money has poured into Baku so have the jewellers. “You see brands in Baku that you don’t even have in Vienna,” says Valentina Vassileva, chief executive of the two-year-old annual jewellery fair, Jewels of the World, which brings De Beers, David Morris and others to the city.

“There’s the whole spectrum of jewellers in Baku now from precious stone jewellers to mainstream to small creative designers,” she says.

Competition is so fierce that attracting attention is increasingly tough. Even Graff Diamonds opened its store in May Street with a fanfare last month, according to Francois Graff, the company’s chief executive.

The boutique exhibited jewels straight from its workshop, including a sapphire and diamond cuff with a cushion-cut 14.98 carat sapphire.

However, in spite of its new skyscrapers and international events such as the European Olympic Games this year, the Azerbaijan capital’s clientele remains the multimillionaire locals.

“You don’t reach a lot of people,” says Paris-based diamond jeweller, Valérie Messika, whose brand has been in popular multi-brand boutiques. “But when the locals buy, they buy a lot, even from the same collection, to gift.”

Theo Fennell, the London-based jeweller, has been in Baku’s multi-brand boutiques for five years, creating a market for his designs with local twists such as heart pendants depicting the Azeri flag. “They are used to craftsmanship going back many years, so like exclusive pieces made for them,” he says.

Philipp Ammann, wholesale director of Chopard, which has been in Baku since 2003, agrees, seeing one-off jewellery, starting at SFr100,000 ($104,000), as the best sellers. “Because our clients like to show they can afford it,” he says.

Mr Ammann says the market is changing with younger people, even those in their 20s, buying jewellery, and female customers now outnumbering male ones. He believes sales in Baku could have an impact on worldwide revenue, as customers from the city purchase goods at Chopard boutiques elsewhere. “We invest a lot in this market and get it back in other countries.”

Jewellery shops are springing up throughout the city — from the downtown pedestrianised Nizami Street to the magnificent Port Baku Mall overlooking the Caspian Sea. However, Guy Chatillon, Van Cleef & Arpels’ president of Europe, Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), prefers to keep its 10-year-old boutique in the Hyatt Towers in the business district of the city.

“We were among the first here when business was in hotel locations, so clients expect us to be in the same environment. Finding the right location is a challenge for the future because the areas are so disparate and the trend in each area might evolve,” he says.

Local partners remain vital to success in Baku’s flourishing retail scene, whether it is to work with Chopard on local regulations, legal structure, staffing and provide marketing muscle, to assist Bulgari turn local customers’ expectations and habits into business, or to bring a fresh brand into the city, such as Alexander McQueen’s jewellery collaborator, Shaun Leane.

Italdizain, the luxury retail group, is the main player with Harry Winston, De Grisogono and Breguet, while Sinteks, run by Vugar Aliyev of the ruling Aliyev family, counts Tiffany & Co as a jewel in its crown. SI Luxury spans Boucheron to Hublot as well as the Louvre multi-brand boutiques in the Hyatt Tower and Port Baku Mall.

However, amid this success, retailing is affected by tumbling oil prices and Azerbaijani currency.

“We had no choice but to adapt the retail prices in local currency to the new situation to guarantee a unified price level across the different regions,” says Mr Ammann. Aware that these oil price changes may influence consumer confidence Chopard, and Italdizain, its local partner, work together to develop customer relationships such as arranging special events he adds.

Stephen Webster, the London jeweller has been in Baku multi-brand stores, Royal Collection, and more recently Glampire, since 2008. His early entry into the market is now paying dividends. This year he collaborated with the president’s artist daughter, Leyla Aliyeva, on a limited edition collection. Based on her stylised eye motif, the earrings and rings sold out before they hit the shelves, he says.

For Jean-Christophe Babin, Bulgari’s chief executive, Baku’s growing middle class offers vast potential. It rose from 4 per cent of the population in the early 2000s to 29 per cent by 2013, according to the World Bank.

On the wider stage, Baku is the gateway into the equally lucrative CIS. Ms Messika says being in Baku has helped her to develop in Russia and Kazakhstan, while Mr Webster is using his Baku experience to explore neighbouring Iran. He says Iran is changing and, like Baku, it will change at a fast pace.

石油财富源源不断充实阿塞拜疆政府的府库之后，各种名贵首饰也争相“登陆”巴库。“诸位在巴库看到的某些首饰款式，甚至在维也纳都难觅踪迹。”一年一度的世界珠宝首饰展会(Jewels of the World)总经理瓦伦蒂娜?瓦希列娃(Valentina Vassileva)说，该展会迄今已举办两届，她成功地把戴比尔斯(De Beers)与大卫?莫里斯(David Morris)等知名品牌引入巴库市场。

“如今巴库市面上销售的珠宝首饰，从宝石类首饰到主流品类、再到名不见经传的设计师打造的产品，可谓一应俱全。”她说。

市场竞争已趋白热化，因此各大品牌的广告战也是变本加厉。格拉夫钻石(Graff Diamonds)的CEO佛朗索瓦?格拉夫(Francois Graff)说：上月，即便公司的May Street街门店开张时，也都举办了声势浩大的造势活动。

专卖店展出了刚从工厂生产的款式，其中就包括一款蓝宝石以及用14.98克拉热切加工蓝宝石装饰的钻石手镯。

但是，尽管巴库今年新增了不少摩天大楼以及成功举办了欧洲运动会(European Olympic Games)，但它的消费群仍局限于本地的千万富翁。

“消费群体仍相当有限。”总部位于巴黎的钻石首饰商瓦莱丽?梅西卡(Valérie Messika)说。她旗下品牌一直在巴库的各大名品专卖店销售。“但是，巴库本地人出手时，往往一下子买很多作为馈赠礼物，他们甚至购买同一系列。”

伦敦珠宝品牌西奥?芬内尔(Theo Fennell)已登陆巴库名品专卖店五年，芬内尔自己的设计与当地的缠绕风格（如模仿阿塞拜疆国旗模样的心形坠件）巧妙结合起来，成功打造出自己的一片天地。“当地人喜欢历史悠久的工艺，专为他们打造的限量版首饰也是如此。”他说。

2003年以来一直呆在巴库的萧邦零售总监菲利普?阿曼恩(Philipp Ammann)也同意上述看法，他认为起售价10万瑞士法郎（约为10.4万美元）的绝款首饰是最为畅销的款式。“因为我们的客户喜欢显摆自己有此经济实力。”他说。

阿曼恩说如今市场正在悄然发生变化，甚至20多岁的年轻人就开始购置珠宝首饰，而且女性消费者开始多于男性消费者。他认为巴库的销售情况对整个公司的全球业绩会有重大影响，因为巴库本地消费者会去其他国家的萧邦门店购物。“我们在巴库本地大量投资，而在其他国家（地区）的门店获得回报。”

从位于市中心的尼扎米步行街(Nizami Street)到俯瞰里海、富丽堂皇的巴库港商城(Port Baku Mall)，珠宝首饰店在巴库全城如雨后春笋般涌现。但是，梵克雅宝(Van Cleef & Arpels)负责欧洲、中东以及独联体市场的销售总监Guy Chatillon更倾向于把巴库商业中心凯悦大厦(Hyatt Towers)内的专卖店继续开下去。

“我们是首批把专卖店开到酒店区的公司，所以客户希望我们仍‘按兵不动’。未来面临的巨大挑战就是物色理想的商业地段，因为巴库各个城区各具特色，而且会发展出不同的时尚风格。”他说。

不管是否与萧邦在本地规章制度、法律架构、招聘员工还是加大营销力度方面进行合作，协助宝格丽(Bulgari)把当地消费者的预期与购物习惯变成销售业绩，还是把新品牌（如亚历山大?麦奎(Alexander McQueen)的首饰合作品牌肖恩?利尼(Shaun Leane)）引入巴库市场，想在蒸蒸日上的巴库零售界取得成功，找到合适的本地商业合作方仍然至关重要。

奢侈零售集团Italdizain是海瑞?温斯顿珠宝(Harry Winston)、德?克里斯可诺(de Grisogono)以及宝玑(Breguet)首饰珠宝的主要合作方，而由武加尔?阿利耶夫(Vugar Aliyev)经营的Sinteks零售店则把蒂芙尼视为“镇店之宝”。武加尔?阿利耶夫来自统治阿塞拜疆的阿利耶夫家族。SI Luxury销售的品牌从宝诗龙(Boucheron)到宇舶(Hublot)，一应俱全，而位于凯悦大厦与巴库港商城的Louvre名品专卖店同样也是如此。

但是，尽管各大品牌在巴库的销售喜人，但零售业无疑受到了油价狂跌以及阿塞拜疆本币大幅贬值的影响。

“我们别无选择，但只得调整零售价（以本币计算）以适应新形势，从而使各个区域的零售价保持一致。”阿曼恩说。萧邦意识到油价下跌可能会打击消费者的购物积极性，于是与本地合作方Italdizain联手举办专场活动，以打造与客户之间的紧密关系，他补充道。

2008年以来，伦敦珠宝品牌史蒂芬?韦伯斯特(Stephen Webster)就一直“驻扎”在Royal Collection与Glampire（稍晚些）等巴库名品首饰店，捷足先登巴库市场，如今，开始收获丰硕果实。今年，韦伯斯特与阿塞拜疆总统之女、艺术专业出身的蕾拉?阿利耶夫(Leyla Aliyeva)合作推出了限量版首饰系列。在蕾拉唯美的眼睛形图案基础上，他俩合作推出的耳环与戒指还未正式上架，就已被抢购一空，他说。

在宝格丽CEO让-克里斯多弗?巴宾(Jean Christophe Babin)看来，巴库渐趋增多的中产阶级提供了巨大的销售潜力。据世界银行(World Bank)统计，中产阶级占该国总人口的比例，由21世纪初的4%飚升到了2013的29%。

而放眼世界，巴库位于同样有巨大商机的独联体国家的枢纽地带。梅西卡说占据巴库市场，有助于她进一步开拓俄罗斯及哈萨克斯坦市场；而韦伯斯特则凭借在巴库取得的宝贵经验，去阿塞拜疆邻国伊朗寻求发展。他说伊朗社会正在发生改变，它与巴库一样，也会迅猛发展。

译者/常和