This retailer is happy to promote new 'young' watch brands to differentiate itself from others, and at the same time build a strong relationship with budding brands and customers.

It currently sells 11 brands from Switzerland: Parmigiani, Dewitt, deLaCour, BRM, Jacob & Co, Hautlence, Greubel Forsey, Jean Dunand, HD3, Michel Jordi and Vincent Berard. Some are as young as two years old.

"Current well-known global watch brands are already available at many watch retailers. But at Yafriro, we choose to make ourselves exclusive by marketing only young qualified brands," Salisar Eiammanoch, country manager of Yafriro Boutique Le Temps in Thailand, said last week.

The dark-toned museum-styled decoration in its 212-square-metre boutique in the Siam Paragon shopping complex also makes it different from the nearby bright, grand retailers.

A few steps from entrance door, a mock-up watch engine made in Geneva is embedded on the floor below transparent glass, reflecting golden light from a grand chandelier that represents sunlight.

The ideas have succeeded to such a level that Yafriro has already expanded its retail business in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. "Since our showroom in Thailand was opened 10 months ago, we've got good feedback from customers. They hesitated at first about what we sell but finally became repeat customers, leading to our good financial performance," said Salisar.

The boutique has already generated Bt110 million in sales and is expected to pull in another Bt30 million by year-end. Watch prices start from Bt200,000 and can rise to Bt30 million.

Of course, selling young brands and starting boutiques in different countries requires Yafriro to put in greater effort that ordinary retailers of luxury watches.

It starts with Yafriro's capability to choose the right brands for its prospective customers. The company visits the Basel Fair and the Geneva Fair in Switzerland, where luxury brands - both big and small independent names - are gathered together.

"We prefer independent brands because they can fully exploit their imagination in watch design with the desired quality. Big brands can be limited by a marketing department or an assignment from powerful executives," Salisar said. "After we find our prospective brands, we start talks to further learn about their vision to see whether they match Yafriro. If things follow on track, we sign a contract and set separate marketing plans for each brand in each country."

Its marketing strategy includes arranging monthly campaigns, advertising in magazines, building awareness through public relations, creating fashion shoots for magazines and arranging campaigns in conjunction with businesses such as credit-card operators. Marketing budgets vary depending on opportunity.

Well-trained sales representatives are another important factor to clearly explain details to customers and make them believe in Yafriro. However, the company found that selling young brands is often not difficult because many customers travel in Europe and the United States and have become familiar with the watches.

Selling more ladies' watches is Yafriro's next plan and it is in the process of selecting timepieces to showcase in the boutique.

Above all, its goal is to establish itself in fashion cities like Hong Kong, London and New York in five to 10 years.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation