Parmigiani innovates with its “Ateliers”
Much like a haute couture boutique, Ateliers Parmigiani will convey the very essence of the brand in the world’s major cities. After-sales service will also be optimised.
Intent on developing an even closer relationship with its customers, beginning in 2009 the Neuchâtel watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier is opening new venues around the world that will relay its outstanding expertise to the public. But what exactly are these Ateliers Parmigiani? As Jean-Marc Jacot, delegate for the Sandoz Family Foundation which owns a 90% stake in the Manufacture, explains, they have a threefold objective: Firstly, “to provide our present and future customers with the best possible service.” Secondly, these Ateliers will be platforms for the brand, where customers can view the entire collection, and where aficionados and journalists alike will enjoy easy access to every model, from simple watches to grandes complications. The cornerstone of this concept will be the watchmaker-consultant whose workbench will be placed in the very centre of the Atelier. “The huge advantage is that a watchmaker, trained by Parmigiani Fleurier, will be there to explain our products,” Jean-Marc Jacot observes.
The retailer must make the difference
This innovation will fill an all too common gap at stores where retailers, because they generally represent several brands, are not always fully acquainted with every product. Says Jean-Marc Jacot: “Our watches are highly complicated and warrant an appropriate explanation. We miss out on sales because the salesperson doesn’t have an adequate understanding of the timepieces. If the customer hesitates, the retailer must make the difference. It’s their role to explain the watch to them, perhaps convince them, which implies a complete understanding of the product, from A to Z.” Lastly, the Ateliers will be a service hub for the entire distribution network of that country; a bridgehead that can rapidly fulfil requests from retailers in the market and answer their questions. The combination of these three factors should raise the profile of the firm, which last year reported revenues of CHF 80 million, including its production wing.
For years, the majority of Swiss brands have been guilty of neglecting their after-sales service.
Jean-Marc Jacot
The Ateliers will also provide after-sales services in a vertically-integrated structure within the market rather than centralised at brand head office. Jean-Marc Jacot doesn’t mince his words: “For years, the majority of Swiss brands have been guilty of neglecting their after-sales service. Selling a watch is, to a certain extent, easier. It’s then a question of following through, which is where new brands, for example, are guilty of negligence.” In his view, the entire industry is sitting on a time bomb, particularly the less established brands, the large groups having assumed their responsibilities in this field.
A vital consideration
Vacheron Constantin, for example, claims it can repair any one of its watches from 1755 to the present day. Services and restoration are carried out with the utmost respect for the watch’s aesthetic and technical characteristics. Indeed, customers tend to forget that a watch, like a car, requires regular servicing. Particularly as a movement is in motion 24 hours a day. For a watch to continue to function correctly, and measure time accurately, a full service every four to five years, at an authorised repair centre, is recommended. For complication watches, brands suggest a full service every three to four years. As a reminder, a watch is generally sold with a two-year warranty. “Although someone who buys an exceptional product can expect their retailer to follow through with a more personalised service,” Jean-Marc Jacot explains.
After-sales service is a vital issue. In 2011, 2012 and 2013, some 130 million Swiss watches sold worldwide over the past five years will find their way back to after-sales centres, for those brands that have them, in Switzerland or elsewhere. At Parmigiani, forewarned is forearmed. All the watchmakers who will work in its Ateliers will receive comprehensive training at the brand’s head office in Fleurier. They will spend between three and six months in Val-de-Travers, where they will master the finer details of Parmigiani movements, from the most simple to the most complicated. They will then return to their Atelier Parmigiani. Note that the Manufacture employs a dozen people at its after-sales service centre in Fleurier, while centres worldwide have access to a website where, among other functions, they can order replacement parts.
Like a haute couture boutique, these platforms will represent “the very essence of Parmigiani Fleurier in the major cities of the world,” in Jean-Marc Jacot’s words. Moscow, Singapore and Hong Kong will be first to welcome an Atelier. “We will proceed with due course and consideration. These Ateliers are ambassadors for the brand and will function as an extension of Parmigiani’s head office outside Switzerland.”
