Baselworld 2016 closed its doors on 23 March, the eighth day of the leading global event for watches and jewellery. Despite the smaller number of attendees over 2015 (down three percent, organiser said), most of the exhibitors we interviewed have expressed their contentment with the turnout of business appointments as well as the positive energy the fairground generated.
Cristiana Girolimetto of Valenza-based Palmiero Carlo Srl said they received good feedbacks although visitor traffic was not as hectic as last year. “Our customers came by appointment. We had a good customer flow. In recent years we have seen the main markets being shifted to Asia, especially Southeast Asia,” she told Hong Kong Jewellery. Facing the challenging year ahead, she said they will keep on investing in design with high standards of materials and craftsmanship. On product trends, she said jewellery watches might be the trend in the coming years.
For another Italian brand Pasquale Bruni, Baselworld 2016 “was the best Basel fair of the last five years in terms of results”. “The traffic was moderately less in general; but we registered an increase in sales by 50 percent compared to 2015,” said Roberta Ferrazzi of the company. Among the bestselling items was their iconic Bon Ton collection. She added that they are currently implementing an e-commerce platform in order to reach out to a broader client base.
“Baselworld 2016 was very good and all in all an exciting and productive show,” Alexandra Garrett of Maria Kovadi Fine Jewellery said. The Swiss luxury jewellery manufacturer did not find clients at the fair price-sensitive amidst the slow-moving economy. “When they love something, the price is secondary to the design, craftsmanship and originality…We are less affected by the global economy uncertainty and market changes,” she added.
A crowd of excited spectators was a common scene outside Georg Jensen’s booth where erected an architectural installation from the late Zaha Hadid. Meeling Wong of the Danish brand attributed the high attendance to the open booth design as well as the stunning installation. “Both Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hube’s collections and the Zaha Hadid collaboration were this year’s bestsellers,” she said. The diversified product and price ranges have given the brand a competitive edge. “Last year was strong for us; we achieved a 10-percent growth over 2014. We will continue our legacy of collaborating with designers while expanding the most successful collections, Fusion and Vivianna,” she added.
Italian brand Mattioli launched new rings for its iconic Puzzle collection which was selling well. Chiara Ferri of the company told Hong Kong Jewellery that the show was satisfactory, both in terms of sales and communication. Visitors were mainly from Benelux, Germany, the United States and Asia. “Customers have become more price-sensitive; but at the same time they look for top quality,” she said. This year they will focus on enhancing marketing initiatives and sales network.
Paris-based Messika had an “incredible” time at the Basel fair. “We had a lot of visitors from Europe, the Middle East and Russia. We opened Messika USA last year, and we had new clients from the States as well. The next step would be the Asian market,” Morgane Le Bail of the company said. Thanks to the price positioning strategy, Messika keeps a good balance between high quality and reasonable prices. Le Bail said the Glam’Azone collection went well, with an average price between 4,000 and 5,000 euros.
Katerina Slobodina of Ringo from Russia said they met visitors mainly from Europe during the fair. “Our jewellery combines ideas and craftsmanship, price is the last thing our clients look into. True jewellery cannot be cheap. It is always luxury,” she said. The poor market condition has brought about the change in the origins of their clients, but not their tastes, she added.
Sutra Jewels Inc launched a successful new line set with diamonds and smaller gemstones at the fair, with the bestselling price range from US$5,000 to US$15,000 at wholesale. “The show turned out very well for us. We were fortunate to have most our existing clients return, with some new clients joining us,” Callye Peyrovi of Sutra said. For this challenging year, the US brand will strive to innovate something new that has never been seen before, she said.
Staying true to uniqueness, values, uncompromised quality, and consistent innovation is what Ole Lynggaard believes to ride out market slowdown. “It was a very successful fair. Baselworld is a strategic point for us to secure our international relations,” Fernanda Palmiero said. With close to 100 sales points in Europe, the Copenhagen brand is seeing an increasing interest from American and Chinese luxury consumers. Lotus collection and the Leaves pendants went particularly well at the show, Palmiero said.
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