Swatch Group Reports Record Sales

Swatch Times Square store.

Swatch Group saw its 2011 gross sales increase 21.7 percent, year-over-year, to 7.14 billion Swiss francs ($7.5 billion) with December 2011 posting the strongest month in sales in company history.

The world’s largest watchmaker shrugged off the impact of the strong Swiss franc, which negatively affected sales by 10.8 percent. “Despite this extremely negative

Update: Swatch Group Ends Partnership with Tiffany

The Atlas Chronograph watch in 2009, one of the first watches created by Tiffany Watch Co. Ltd.

Updated at 2 p.m. with a statement from Tiffany & Co. disputing the claims of the Swatch Group. See below.

In a terse statement Monday, the Swatch Group said it will end its partnership with Tiffany & Co. to make and distribute branded watches for the luxury jeweler and will seek compensation for

Jewelry and Watch Brands Score Low on their Digital IQ

E-tailers and department stores lead the rankings and Jewelry & Watches and Accessory brands lag behind in their digital IQ.  Image source: Digital IQ Index: Specialty Retail, L2

E-tailers have the highest digital IQ, department stores saw the largest gain in their digital IQ during the past year and the digital IQ of home furnishings brands fell from the prior year. However, it is jewelry

Record Sales at Swatch Group, but Strong Swiss Franc Cuts Margins

Watch and jewelry sales at the Swatch Group rose 24 percent at constant exchange rates to 2.9 billion Swiss francs ($3.6 billion) for the first half of 2011. At current exchange rates the increase was 13.3 percent for the six-month period. Total sales increased 24.2 percent at constant exchange rates to a record $3.36 billion Swiss francs ($4.17 billion). At current exchange rates the increase

Swatch Group Sales So Strong it’s Having Trouble Meeting Demand

Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker, enjoyed double-digit sales growth in February, continuing the strong trend seen the month before, Reuters and other media outlets report. Even the immediate issue facing the Swiss-based company is show of its strength. It needs to hire more people and expand its production facilities because it’s facing difficulty meeting demand.

Swatch is looking

Timepiece Tuesday: Swatch Group Names New Presidents for Rado and Hamilton Watch Brands

Matthias Breschan
 By William George Shuster

Matthias Breschan, formerly president of Hamilton watches worldwide, has been named the new president of Rado watches worldwide by the Swatch Group. Breschan originally joined the Swatch Group, which owns both Rado and Hamilton, in 1996 and had been president of Hamilton since 2003.

He succeeds Roland Streule, the long-time president of Rado SA.

Swatch Group 2010 Sales Sets New Record

The Swatch Group reported Wednesday that sales for 2010 totaled 6.4 billion Swiss Francs ($6.6 billion), an increase at constant exchange rates of 21.8 percent over 2009 and 12.7 percent over 2008, despite capacity bottlenecks and adverse exchange rates. At constant exchange rates, the increase was 28.1 percent.“The extraordinary strength of our brand portfolio was again reflected in an

Report: Tiffany May Be Ripe for Acquisition

Tiffany & Co. flagship store

Tiffany & Co. has sparkled as the world slowly recovers from one of the worst economic downturns ever. Just today, the luxury jewelry retailer said its holiday net sales grew 11 percent, over the prior year, and that it has increased its global sales outlook to $3.1 billion, well above the $2.7 billion in sales it earned in 2009. All this success has made the New