Louis Vuitton aims to sell less

curlsjang

Member
Sep 14, 2006
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Saw this article today and thought I'll share it here.

Sep 14, 2010

Louis Vuitton aims to sell less


PARIS - FRENCH luxury leather goods maker Louis Vuitton is closing its Parisian stores an hour early to preserve stocks ahead of the Christmas rush, shop assistants said on Tuesday.

The shops, which are hot spots for tourists, are particularly popular among Japanese, Chinese and Russian buyers and make up a significant portion of the French brand's total western European revenue.

Stores affected include Louis Vuitton's flagship on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, as well as its outlets on Avenue Montaigne and on Place Saint-Germain des Pres.

Tourists say the brand's leather bags are often cheaper in the French capital than at home in cities such as Shanghai, Tokyo and Moscow.

'We are closing an hour earlier to rebuild our stocks before the Christmas season,' one assistant said, adding the new closing time could last until Dec 1.

Louis Vuitton boutiques within department stores Bon Marche, Printemps Haussmann and Galeries Lafayette will not be affected by the new opening hours, the assistant said, declining to be named. -- REUTERS
 
Wow, that is a pretty big step for a retailer to take and a bit counter-intuitive when it comes to the idea of being in the business of selling a product. They must really be behind in production!
 
How can they preserve stocks for the Christmas season by simply closing an hour early!!??
Buyers will simply change their schedules to be able to pick up their pieces in time...

Very strange! Would like to know what is really going on...especially with the general and often reported world-wide shortage of LV-products!!
 
Very interesting! I wonder if the new factory will increase the number of Made in France bags here in the US?

I guess the people lucky enough to have a brown for their holiday will be very lucky indeed!
 
How can they preserve stocks for the Christmas season by simply closing an hour early!!??
Buyers will simply change their schedules to be able to pick up their pieces in time...

Very strange! Would like to know what is really going on...especially with the general and often reported world-wide shortage of LV-products!!


Absolutely agree.....very unusual.......this action just doesn't make sense!
 
It does sound a little weird, but those stores in popular tourist destinations are almost always packed to capacity with long lines outside. Maybe this can work. I can't wait to see if there will be a bag shortage come holiday season. :nuts:
 
Any time someone says 'you can't have one' it makes people want it more. I saw people in LV in Toronto last week waving credit cards and calling out the names of the products they wanted (imagine the stock exchange floor, or the 'run on the bank' in the Depression, but with better manners!) I'm not convinced yet that the shortage isn't intentional - surely a big corporation like LV would keep up production and store them until the economy improved (their stated reason is that people wouldn't want to buy much in the bad economy).
 
Any time someone says 'you can't have one' it makes people want it more. I saw people in LV in Toronto last week waving credit cards and calling out the names of the products they wanted (imagine the stock exchange floor, or the 'run on the bank' in the Depression, but with better manners!) I'm not convinced yet that the shortage isn't intentional - surely a big corporation like LV would keep up production and store them until the economy improved (their stated reason is that people wouldn't want to buy much in the bad economy).


Lol this makes me laugh! It's a handbag, not a kidney!