Since his arrival its main objective was to save the 1

This is almost a year, in full global storm, that Marco Bizzarri took control of Bottega Veneta, the Italian luxury leather. With a clear mission: preserving this Pearl of the Gucci group whose sales have multiplied by 12 since its acquisition by PPR in 2001. The brand, famous for its cabas plaited entirely by hand, has seen its turnover leap of EUR 35 million eight years ago to 402 million last year. Once again profitable in 2005, its current operational result rose from 14 million to 101 million in 2008. Today, Bottega Veneta is the second mark of the pole luxury of PPR, far behind its flagship Gucci (2.2 billion revenue) brand.

But with the crisis, its sales have greatly slowed, with a decline of 9 on the first nine months of 2009. "The mark has been seven years a growth of 36 per year on average. "But we have reached a threshold, and the crisis has accelerated this deadline," tells the "Echos" Marco Bizzarri, former CEO of Stella McCartney, another brand of Gucci Galaxy. Since his arrival, its main objective was to save the 1.270 employees of the leather, and those of its suppliers. Bottega Veneta, founded in 1966 in Vicenza near Verona, subcontracts in fact almost all of its production to approximately 70 small workshops, installed in the region. It is on them that the company has supported growth his last years. 240 Artisans home involved special orders, prototypes, and quality control.

"To preserve the know-how in these difficult times, we have revised the logistics chain, by anticipating the needs of raw materials, to smooth then the production and our suppliers commands", stated Marco Bizzarri. Until then, the manufacture was peaks and troughs demand. This strategy, Bottega Veneta was able to spread the workload of small subcontractors, and ensure a minimum of activity at the time where other major client brands reducing their demand. A need to avoid their disappearance. "Our artistic director, Tomas Maier, worked on collections with a vision for six months." "This advance was possible because 80 of our sales are made in our own stores," resumed the CEO. It is in this network that the decline in sales is the lower: it was limited to 5 in the third quarter, against a plunge of 34 in the distributors (stores, including).

A niche brand

In 2009, Bottega Veneta has continued the opening of outlets, with 11 openings. The Asia-Pacific (Taiwan, Korea...) has become this year its first market, with 28 of sales, in the Japan (25). Other projects are under consideration in the area, notably in China, where the leather has 7 stores, "profitable in the first year. In total, the mark has a network of 131 shops own in the world and 26 franchise.

In terms of strategy, Bottega Veneta wants to remain a niche brand, "now, its values based on a craft of luxury", insists Marco Bizzarri, with fully handmade bags. From his workshop in Vicenza supervised by Stefano Brazzale - thirty-five years of House - two days are needed to weave a cabas, in lamb, python, or crocodile. It averaged ten skins for a single model, the price goes from 44.000 euros 1,100. Beside the bags, which still represent 80 of sales, Luxury Leather has extended its offer to footwear, ready-to-wear, jewellery, and even furniture. The company will launch in eighteen months, in partnership with Coty, a fragrance very high. A new gateway to the mark.