Another Euro jewellery brand for Australia

3.2 k views | Posted August 28, 2012 | By Dean Millard • Staff Journalist

The expansion of European brands to Australia continues with the announcement that a popular French range will be launched at this weekend’s International Jewellery Fair.

Bolt International, the distributor behind Ice-Watch’s success in Australia will launch French brand APM Monaco into the Australian market at the Sydney trade fair.

Bolt International chief executive Larry Porter is excited with the addition of APM Monaco to his portfolio, having highlighted a niche in the market for a multi-tiered brand that offers a strong concept and branding that is accessible to consumers and retailers alike.

Helen Hagerty, the person charged with leading the brand to success in Australia, said she first became aware of the popular French range while flicking through catalogues in a café. Hagerty is no newcomer to launching jewellery ranges given she helped launch Tuskc in 2010.

Hagerty said aside from the look of the jewellery, what attracted her to APM Monaco was the company’s business model, which she said was not dissimilar to fashion brand Zara.

“They [APM Monaco] put a new collection together and launch it every month,” Hagerty said. “We will break that down into quarterly launches, which we think the trade will cope with in Australia. It means that they can get into a collection and order in and then re-order once if they want to before buying something new again. This means no one is sitting on a lot of stock.”

The brand aims to embrace a wide range of potential customers, offering both rhodium plated silver and 9-carat gold ranges priced between $50 and $1,200. Currently with 12 collections, Hagerty said the brand appeals to a wide range of ages, from teens through to 60s, while the speed with which the APM Monaco factory is able to produce products means the brand can quickly react to changing trends.

APM Monaco's jewellery campaign

“We are going to be able to ship from factory to store in a two-week turnaround,” Hagerty said. “We are saying to retailers, get ready to change your mind, because this is the direction the jewellery industry is heading in. APM Monaco wants to put fine pieces of jewellery at a price that makes them want to consider it when otherwise they might not have. It is gives retailers a good margin, which is something we were after, but at the same time it is about sell-through and then sell something new.”

Hagerty said she was pleased to have secured supply agreements with all three Australian buyer groups and added the brand placed a lot of emphasis on retailer support to grow the brand.

“We want retailers to understand that this brand is going to sit very comfortably with what they have or even fill gaps. The other thing that is really exciting about this, each month when they launch a new collection there is a full photo shoot and DVD done, which are cut down for jewellers to utilise."

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