Richemont
Encyclopedia
Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. is a Swiss
luxury good
s holding company founded in 1988 by the South Africa
n businessman Johann Rupert
. Richemont categorizes its businesses into four areas: jewellery, watch making, writing instruments and other, which encompasses clothing and firearms. The company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and on the JSE Securities Exchange. Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. is the eighth biggest company in the Swiss Market Index
and as of 2007, it is the third-largest luxury goods company in the world by turnover, behind LVMH Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton S.A.
and PPR S.A.
, its two main competitors in the luxury goods market.
announced the formation of a joint venture, the Polo Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewellery Company, S.A.R.L., of which each company will own 50 percent.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
luxury good
Luxury good
Luxury goods are products and services that are not considered essential and associated with affluence.The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilization. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies...
s holding company founded in 1988 by the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n businessman Johann Rupert
Johann Rupert
Johann Peter Rupert is the eldest son of the late South African business tycoon Anton Rupert and his wife Huberte Rupert. He is the chairman of the Swiss-based luxury-goods company Richemont as well as of the South Africa-based company Remgro...
. Richemont categorizes its businesses into four areas: jewellery, watch making, writing instruments and other, which encompasses clothing and firearms. The company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and on the JSE Securities Exchange. Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. is the eighth biggest company in the Swiss Market Index
Swiss Market Index
The Swiss Market Index is Switzerland's blue-chip stock market index, which makes it the most important in the country. It is made up of twenty of the largest and most liquid SPI large- and mid-cap stocks...
and as of 2007, it is the third-largest luxury goods company in the world by turnover, behind LVMH Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton S.A.
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH, is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France. The company was formed after the 1987 merger of fashion house Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy, a company formed after the 1971 merger...
and PPR S.A.
PPR (company)
PPR is a French multinational holding company specializing in retail shops and luxury brands. The company was founded in 1963 by the businessman François Pinault and is now run by his son François-Henri Pinault. It is quoted on Euronext Paris and is a constituent of the CAC 40 index...
, its two main competitors in the luxury goods market.
Subsidiaries
The following companies are fully owned subsidiaries of Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. unless otherwise noted.- A. Lange & SöhneA. Lange & SöhneA. Lange & Söhne is a trademark of German watchmaking company Lange Uhren GmbH , a subsidiary of Richemont SA. Lange pocket and wrist watches are among the finest in the world, competing with watches produced by Swiss firms such as Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.- History :Lange was...
— watches; based in Glashütte, Germany - Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. — men's clothing, watches, leather goods; based in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom - Baume et MercierBaume et MercierBaume et Mercier is a Swiss luxury watchmaking company founded in 1830. It is owned by Richemont, and with Cartier and Piaget they make up the core of the group. This company is represented in 75 countries and produces around 200,000 watches a year. The most important markets are in Europe,...
— watches; based in Geneva, Switzerland - CartierCartier SACartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
— jewellery, watches; based in Paris, France - ChloéChloéChloé is a French fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. Its headquarters is in Paris.-History:Gaby Aghion was born in Alexandria, Egypt in the year 1921...
— women's clothing; based in Paris, France - IWC SchaffhausenInternational Watch CompanyInternational Watch Co, also known as IWC, is a high-end Swiss watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. IWC is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH....
— watches; based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland - Jaeger-LeCoultreJaeger-LeCoultreJaeger-LeCoultre is a high-end luxury watch and clock manufacturer based in Le Sentier, Vaud, Switzerland. In addition, Jaeger-LeCoultre also has a long tradition of supplying movements and parts to other prestigious watch companies in Switzerland. Since 1996, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a fully...
— watches; based in Le Sentier, Switzerland - James Purdey and SonsJames Purdey and SonsJames Purdey & Sons - or simply "Purdey" - is a famous British gunmaker of London, and the name is synonymous with the very finest sporting shotguns and rifles. Purdeys hold or have held numerous warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and other European royal...
— firearms; based in London, United Kingdom - Lancel — leathergoods; based in Paris, France
- Manufacture Roger Dubuis S.A.Roger DubuisRoger Dubuis is the brand name of luxury watches and jewellery founded by Carlos Dias and Roger Dubuis.Dubuis, a talented watchmaker, founded his own atelier in 1980 after 14 years of developing complications for Patek Philippe. He took commissions to design new complications for major brands for...
— (60% ownership) watches; based in Geneva, Switzerland - Maison Azzedine Alaïa — women's fashions; based in Paris, France
- Montblanc International GmbH — writing instruments, watches; based in Hamburg, Germany
- Net-a-Porter Ltd. — clothing sold via the Internet; based in London, United Kingdom
- Officine PaneraiPaneraiOfficine Panerai Marketing e Communicazioni Srl, a wholly owned subsidiary of Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., designs, manufactures, markets and sells watches under the Officine Panerai brand through authorized dealers and company-owned boutiques worldwide. Giovanni Panerai founded Officine...
— watches; based in Florence, Italy - Piaget S.A.Piaget SAPiaget SA is a Swiss luxury watchmakers and jewellers, founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées. The company belongs to the Swiss Richemont group, specialists in the luxury goods industry....
— jewellery, watches; based in Geneva, Switzerland - Shanghai TangShanghai TangShanghai Tang is an international clothing chain company, founded in 1994 by Hong Kong businessman David Tang Wing Cheung and now controlled by Richemont.David Tang claimed that Shanghai Tang is a Chinese label that set out to rejuvenate Chinese fashion...
— men's and women's fashions; based in Hong Kong, China - Vacheron ConstantinVacheron ConstantinVacheron Constantin is a Swiss manufacture of prestige watches and a brand of the Richemont group. Considered by watch enthusiasts to be one of the finest traditional watch makers in the world along with Patek Philippe & Co., Jaeger-LeCoultre and Audemars Piguet.It employs around 400 people...
— watches; based in Geneva, Switzerland - Van Cleef & Arpels S.A.Van Cleef & ArpelsVan Cleef & Arpels is a French jewellery, watch, and perfume company that was founded in 1896 by Charles Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef. They opened their first boutique in 1906 at 22 place Vendôme, Paris...
— jewellery, watches; based in Paris, France
Joint ventures
In March 2007, Richemont and Polo Ralph Lauren Inc.Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren Corporation is a luxury clothing and goods company of the American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren specializes in high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as accessories, fragrances, home and housewares...
announced the formation of a joint venture, the Polo Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewellery Company, S.A.R.L., of which each company will own 50 percent.
- Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Company, S.A.R.L. (50% ownership) watches, jewellery - based in Geneva, Switzerland
Former subsidiaries and joint ventures
- Mimi So International & Mimi So Japan - Richemont and Mimi So formed a joint venture in 2004, and in 2005 opened stores inside Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Tokyo and in Beverly Hills CA. In 2007 Richemont sold its stake to Mimi So.
- Hackett - Richemont acquired Hackett in 1992. It was announced in early June 2005 that Richemont had sold Hackett to Torreal, a SpanishSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
investment company. - Reinet InvestmentsReinet InvestmentsReinet Investments S.C.A. is a Luxembourg-based investment vehicle that was demerged from the Swiss luxury goods company Richemont on 20 October 2008...
- including Richemont's stake in British American TobaccoBritish American TobaccoBritish American Tobacco p.l.c. is a global tobacco company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second largest quoted tobacco company by global market share , with a leading position in more than 50 countries and a presence in more than 180 countries...
. It was spun off from Richemont in 2008.