Taking a walk on the wild side of Sardinia October 9, 2021 Flying into Sardinia’s Cagliari, the ancient city spreads out below you, and then gives way to the packed beach resorts of Costa Smeralda. Cagliari’s rich in history and culture, and the resorts’ nightlife is amongst the most vibrant in the Med, but the last thing I wanted was to be surrounded by other holidaymakers. I’d [...]
Selfridges on sale as owners launch auction starting at £4bn July 26, 2021 Selfridges’ owners, the billionaire Weston family, has launched a formal auction to sell its chain of department stores. Advisers at Credit Suisse are starting to look for a buyer and will send out information to target potential bidders and kick off the process. The company is valued at around £4bn. Potential suitors are said to [...]
Mulberry returns to profit despite store closures July 21, 2021 Fashion house Mulberry returned to a profit of £5.9m after suffering a £14.2m loss last year, as online sales growth and a “strong recovery” in the UK helped compensate for pandemic store closures. Digital sales rose to £56.4m in the full year to 27 March – up 55 per cent from £36.3m in 2020, the [...]
Brexit no obstacle for Watches of Switzerland as it eyes expansion into Europe July 8, 2021 Europe is firmly on the radar of luxury retailer Watches of Switzerland. Under a new five-year plan, the group aims to enter the European luxury watch market through acquisitions and new boutiques in a shift away from its previous focus on the UK and US. Britain’s biggest retailer of Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Tag Heuer and [...]
William Adoasi: From a south London council estate to high-end watch kingpin June 20, 2021 Born and raised on a south London council estate, British-Ghanaian William Adoasi, 31, founded high-end watch brand Vitae London in 2016 and recently saw the company surpass £1m in revenue. The oldest of seven, Adoasi earned a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school after having the importance of education instilled in him by his father. [...]
Watches of Switzerland eyes first £1bn year after pandemic fails to dampen desire for posh watches May 20, 2021 Appetite for posh watches and luxury jewellery has not waned during the pandemic, as Watches of Switzerland reported a group revenue increase of 18 per cent in its 2021 financial year. Luxury watches at the company – the UK’s biggest Rolex retailer – were responsible for £788.4m in revenue, while luxury jewellery pulled in £60.8m. [...]
Blaming Covid-19 goes out of fashion at Prada as luxury designer boasts of sales recovery March 10, 2021 Prada has posted a positive operating profit at the end of the year after seeing a full recovery of sales thanks to explosive growth in its e-commerce operation.
Best of travel: The luxury yacht with more toys than Hamleys March 3, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Adam Hay-Nicholls’ stay on what might be the best pound-for-pound yacht in the world. ••• Luxury journalism: It won’t make me a billionaire, but I do get to act like one on occasion. The [...]
9 amazing watches that blew our minds this year December 31, 2020 While many companies have struggled in 2020, the watch industry has proven remarkably resiliant. It has also released some truly stunning pieces that would look at home on the wrist of any self-respecting horology nerd. Here are nine of the very best. Longines Heritage Classic – Tuxedo Longines has been a long-time favourite brand at [...]
The Maserati Levante S is the closest you’ll get to a Ferrari SUV… for now October 21, 2020 The 430hp Maserati Levante S is a large SUV powered by a cut-down Ferrari engine. Does it retain some Maranello magic?