Bijoux Terner puts on the glitz at IAADFS as expansion accelerates – 05/04/06

Just a few of the myriad offerings on Bijoux Terner’s IAADFS booth. Multi-coloured dog leads were among the highlights (pictured middle)

US. The Middle East and Europe are seeing the latest round of openings for the fast-growing jewellery and accessories single-price retailer Bijoux Terner.

The company plans to have some 97 outlets in the Middle East region alone in the next three years, with Dubai boasting 16 stores in total over the period, said Vice President Charles Pelegrin.

Four stores – including an outlet at the flagship Emirates Mall – are already trading in Dubai. Openings have also taken place in Bahrain (three stores), Kuwait (three), and Beirut (two).

In Europe, a 35sq m store will start trading at Berlin Railway Station (Bahnhof) in May, to coincide with the World Cup soccer tournament, which takes place in Germany this summer.

Spain is also seeing a lot of new openings, said Pelegrin, including two shops at Palma Airport. In the UK, the company now has eight airport outlets (Norwich, Manchester, Bristol, Luton, Blackpool – “We have really big sales in Blackpool,” says Pelegrin – Liverpool, Belfast and Newcastle).

In France, Bijoux Terner has a point of sale at Bordeaux Airport with Aélia, and in Switzerland, an outlet is opening this month at Geneva Airport.

In addition, Hellenic Duty Free Stores is introducing the Bijoux Terner concept into existing outlets in Greece.

In Asia, Bijoux Terner will boast two stores at Hong Kong International Airport. Other outlets are under negotiation in Asia, added Pelegrin.

Behind the scenes at Bijoux Terner

Just weeks before this year’s IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas kicked off in late March, news broke that jewellery and accessories company Bijoux Terner had been snapped up by private equity group Arcapita for US$90 million. You only have to visit the Miami headquarters of the pioneering single-price retail concept to see why, writes Mary Jane Pittilla.

The Moodie Report was recently granted a behind-the-scenes media tour of Terner HQ, where formidable father-and-daughter team Moni and Rosa Terner continue to run the rapidly expanding “Luxury at €12” business, which operates more than 200 locations in more than 25 countries.

Moni, now in his seventies, started out in the travel business in the 1960s designing and producing accessories for American Airlines. Standing in the reception area, he touchingly shows us one of his prized possessions – a framed letter from the airline’s management thanking him for his hard work, enthusiasm and the programmes he had created. He was well and truly bitten by the travel bug from that moment and established his affordable accessories company in 1974.

Much of today’s travel retail success is down to Moni’s dynamic daughter, Rosa, who is at once full of fun and yet deadly serious when it comes to the commercial side of the business.

Dressed in an upscale outfit from Neiman Marcus, accessorised with a pashmina scarf and jewellery from Bijoux Terner, Rosa Terner embodies the modern woman’s desire for fast, disposable fashion. She understands that some women love to find a bargain and show off about it, just like she does, yet others prefer to keep quiet about the price (like her mother). Just to prove the point once and for all, she gleefully shows off a framed article from a newspaper fashion page featuring a billionaire banker friend dressed in a full-on power suit – and Bijoux Terner accessories.

Business is humming: Moni Terner’s bright yellow Hummer whisked the travel retail press corps to Bijoux Terner HQ

Sweeping into the design office, crammed full of hundreds of product lines and books, Rosa explains how the firm’s products start out: “All our products are designed and planned here in Miami. We have a chief designer, Fini [Lignarolo] who’s inspired by lots of different things. Everything is then manufactured in China, where we have a fully staffed office in Shenzhen.”

Leading us into the vast hangar-like warehouse piled high with row upon row of cardboard boxes, Rosa continues: “This warehouse has US$48 million worth of inventory – all paid for. We have 18 different product lines. When an order comes in, the girls go up and down the aisles picking a mixture of patterns or styles for ties or jewellery or whatever. I prefer retailers to order only two or three of some pieces, every week if necessary; I’d rather pay the freight charge. Buyers do sometimes ask me: ‘Is this going to work?’ but it does. I want the stores to offer something different all the time.”

This constant refreshment of in-store fashion ranges goes a long way to explaining why Bijoux Terner has become such a hit onboard cruiselines operated by Harding Bros, for example. No-one wants to look the same when they get dressed up for dinner each evening, Rosa believes.

Each day the Miami warehouse welcomes a constant stream of container trucks arriving from China or departing for the 25 countries where Bijoux Terner has outlets. A fitting activity for a retail juggernaut such as Bijoux Terner.

MORE STORIES ON BIJOUX TERNER

Terner family vows to grow business after US$90 million acquisition – 09/03/06

Hachette Distribution Services debuts Bijoux Terner in Australia with “˜luxury at an affordable price’ – 02/08/05
The Nuance Group brings Bijoux Terner value concept to Manchester and Bristol airports – 10/06/05

Bijoux Terner puts on a sparkling performance at Florida show; wins top award – 25/04/05

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