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WatchesDec 09, 2013
Swatch Group opens multi-brand boutiques in US
Swiss watch maker Swatch Group is bringing its multi-brand retail store, Hour Passion, to the United States, and the first shops will be in New York and Las Vegas.
Swatch Group is bringing its Hour Passion retail store to the U.S. with two new boutiques--one in New York, pictured above, which opened on Black Friday, and a second in Las Vegas, slated to open later this month.
New York--Swiss watch maker Swatch Group is bringing its multi-brand retail store, Hour Passion, to the United States, and the first shops will be in New York and Las Vegas.
The company opened the first U.S. Hour Passion store at 112 West 34th St. in New York City on Nov. 29 (Black Friday). The 2,500-square-foot store is across from the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.
The second Hour Passion store will be slightly smaller, about 1,500 square feet, and is scheduled to open later this month at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
The Hour Passion stores carry all of Swatch’s mid- to high-range brands, including Longines, Rado, Tissot, Hamilton, Flik Flak and more. Each brand has its own retail area within the store, using brand colors, materials and imagery.
Exclusive to the New York store is a mezzanine lounge for shoppers to familiarize themselves with select pieces.
“The U.S. market and the American consumer are very important to us. We feel that they should be served in the best way possible. The outstanding Hour Passion boutiques in New York and Las Vegas will give consumers a chance to experience some of our finest brands,” said Nick Hayek, president of the Swatch Group Management Board.
Swatch Group has more than 50 Hour Passion boutiques around the world, including in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland, Malaysia and China.
The news follows closely on the heels of the announcement that another major watch company, Japanese timepiece maker Seiko, is opening its first high-end boutique in the U.S. next year. The store, located on Madison Avenue in New York, is slated for completion in spring/summer 2014.
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