Gc is a watch brand that just continues to get stronger and stronger. One of the top ten Swiss brands in terms of units exported, Gc is intent on using brand boutiques to continue to spread the word. According to Cindy Livingston, President and CEO of Sequel, Gc’s parent company, the strategy is to use brand boutiques to introduce customers to the breadth of the product Gc offers.
“We are concentrating on the roll out of the Gc boutique strategy,” she explains. “We set a goal to have 25 Gc boutiques by the end of 2009. They are spread out all over the world. The first one we are building ourselves, as Sequel, is in London. Our partners are building them in the other countries. They are about fifty square metres, with very tasteful interiors that match the brand. These boutiques will start to give us a nice footprint internationally.”
Livingston doesn’t see the boutiques as competition for Gc’s existing retail network. “The boutiques allow us to showcase the brand, where people get to see the whole breadth of the brand, and business for everyone gets better,” she says. “It really is a marketing handle that showcases all the products we do. Our key retailers from around the world are coming to the launch of our latest boutique in London.”




A47001G2 is the SE-1 carbon fiber bracelet


As Basel approaches, Livingston shared some of the newest product introductions with Europa Star. “We are launching a mid-size female companion piece to the Sport Class XL in steel and rose gold-plating, with a sweep second, called the Sport Class XLS,” she says. “The men's Sport Class XL became the best selling piece in our collection, and it was the most expensive watch we've ever done without diamonds, about 700 Euros.




A47001G2 is the SE-1 carbon fiber bracelet
A47001G2 is the SE-1 carbon fiber bracelet


“We are doing some exciting limited edition watches for our best retailers and our boutiques,” she continues. “These will use a ETA 7750 chronograph movement. The SE-1 is a big watch in the category and we have adapted it for the movement.”
Last year, the chocolate brown dial did really well, and for 2009 the new dial is steel gray.
Gc continues to push forward with high quality product using the best retailers worldwide, including brand boutiques that spread the word.


Source: Europa Star February-March 2009 Magazine Issue