Three regional Spanish capitals have been chosen for openings by Luxenter and Nice Things, which have opened three delightful new boutiques.

After the success of its standalones in Madrid, Luxenter has taken another step in its growth strategy with its first boutique in Barcelona. Located at 110, Rambla de Cataluña, in the heart of the city, it has an area of 85 square metres, spread over three floors.

The brand’s signature blue and white colours dress up the shop interior in a warm and welcoming way, and to elegant effect. The lighting and the use of mirrors are the key for putting the jewellery designs firmly on centre stage.

The 2010-2011 autumn-winter collection has a privileged place in the new shop. The new line will brighten up the darker shades typical of the coming season with a variety of colours, combining silver with hydrothermal quartz, tiger’s eye, blue aventurine and sunstones.

Its collection of charms for men and women was another one of the new products presented at the opening. These little pieces are versatile, carefully designed and ideal for gifts.

For its part, Nice Things continues to expand in Spain with more standalones. On this occasion, it strengthens its retail network with two new boutiques in Vitoria and Palma de Mallorca.

The Vitoria shop is at 28, Calle Eduardo Dato, and the Palma de Mallorca boutique is at 10, Calle Peraires. Both share the delicately feminine look typical of the brand, and feature its signature lampshades made from teapots and plates and its colourful wallpaper.

With the two new shops the Nice Things now has a total of 35 stores in Spain. Globally, the brand operates mainly in Portugal, where it has eight boutiques, as well as in France, where it has four, Greece where it has three and Switzerland and Andorra which have two apiece. Abroad, its shops are currently operating on a franchise basis, although the brand’s international expansion strategy considers the possibility of opening its own shops.

Nice Things opens flagship store in Madrid
Luxenter continues global expansion

Spanish womenswear, footwear and accessories chain Hakei has just announced its arrival in France next spring. Its global venture will commence with shop-in-shops and at multi-brand retailers.

The deal reached with Galeries Lafayette — the brand’s first international destination — includes three areas inside the famous Parisian department store which is already home to other Spanish brands like Hoss Intropia, Adolfo Domínguez and Pura López.

Launched in 2004 and controlled by the Bilbao family, Hakei has eight standalones in Spain — of which four are in Madrid and Pamplona, San Sebastián, Barcelona and Albacete each have one — as well as two shop-in-shops in the Madrid Corte Inglés department store at Serrano and Pozuelo.

In conjunction with its international growth, Hakei also plans to open two or three shops of its own in cities such as Murcia and Barcelona before the end of the year.

The company is also preparing the launch of its online platform, a project that will come to fruition next spring, coinciding with the opening of the shop-in-shops at Galeries Lafayette.

For the year ending 31 July 2010, the company had set itself the target of EUR 20 million. in turnover. This would triple the EUR 7 million it reached in 2009.

Hakei is now negotiating increasing its capital in order to finance growth for the period leading up to 2014. The six potential investors which could become partners in the company where the Bilbao family will retain its holding, include venture capital groups and other kinds of investors.

Based on a dynamic shop concept, Hakei is continually renewing its collections, which share a romantic, delicate style in a harmonious combination of the classical and the contemporary. Of the approximately 2,000 product references it launches each year, textiles account for 50%, whilst footwear and accessories make up the remainder.

Shopping in Opéra-Châtelet

Prestigious Spanish leather brand Loewe has joined in the celebrations for the centennial of one of Madrid’s most historic shopping streets, the Gran Vía, with an exhibition of key pieces from the Loewe Museum.

A selection of 75 creations chosen from among the 4,000 that make up the luxury brand’s heritage have gone on show in the famous Loewe shop at 8, Gran Vía. The passage of time is reflected in the art-deco stairway mirrors that take us back to other eras, when writers like Ernest Hemingway chose the best gifts for Hollywood divas like Ava Gardner.

Crocodile and box leather or snakeskin creations more than a century old, including a 1902 vanity case, handbags from the golden age of the 40s, 50s and 60s, iconic items such as the first Amazona and some of the best designs from the Eighties are a must-see on this tour of the brand’s creative legacy and craftsmanship.

From October 12, the exhibition will travel to Beijing and Tokyo to showcase the savoir faire of one of Spain’s most traditional brands. It has been described by the brand’s heir and Chairman of the Loewe Foundation Enrique Loewe as “a space in which to contemplate Loewe’s history, because all brands need to look to the past to be able to continue in the future”.

Today, Loewe is still Spain’s leading luxury ambassador and has more than 150 shops in 34 countries.

Loewe updates its classics
Siete, the new men’s fragrance by Loewe
Loewe catwalk at Paris Fashion Week
Gran Vía: a century of fashion

The Spanish trendy sports shoe company, Munich, presents a new design for this Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 season: Offside. Aimed at males, the new style has been created especially for businessmen, classy men and executives who want to pair their suits and pleated trousers with high-quality shoes that provide elegance and comfort for day-to-day wear.

Munich has become one of the largest streetwear companies in the international footwear market. It now offers a new range featuring over 10 styles created with the best leathers, following in the wake of its iconic collections, such as Bóxer, Gomamto, Nobuc Tri, Nobuc Due, Tuscany and Costra.

This new range has kept the characteristic look of the Munich design with its X-shaped logo, which is more subtle and elegant (if that is possible) and appears in leather on the exterior side. This range has also stayed true to the Spanish brand’s principles: cutting-edge design, quality and comfort.

The new style can be chosen from a spectrum of colours adapted to the summer season, ranging from blue, grey and green to different combinations of earth tones and a new white.

Munich Offside shoes will be available at the various points-of-sale of the Spanish company, which has positioned itself as a registered trademark in over 40 countries, thus strengthening the brand’s status as a symbol of prestige and leadership.

Munich, feature of the month.
Munich opens flagship store in Valencia.
Munichmyway.com invites the public to customise their own Gresca.

Oxford Street, London’s main shopping thoroughfare located in the West End district, will be adding Desigual’s creative designs to its selection. The Spanish company has reached an agreement to lease one of the most luxurious retail spaces in this important London area, which was previously occupied by The Disney Store.

Desigual will pay the highest rent of this exclusive area. The Spanish company’s presence on this thoroughfare will help Oxford Street kick-start its commercial recovery and regain its symbolic charm, both of which have been weakened by the economic recession. The announcement of the leasing of the space coincides with the publication of Oxford Street’s year-on-year figures for the month of July, which show an upward trend.

Desigual’s expansion plan continues its excellent progress with prime examples such as this future opening, the upcoming opening of its largest shop in Madrid and the success of its space in the Opera District of Paris.

Germany, Italy, Holland, France, the United States and United Kingdom are the priority markets for 2010, a period which Desigual plans to close with a total of 40 new openings. In 2009, the company opened 27 points-of-sale and closed the financial year with a turnover of 300 million euros.

Founded in 1984, Desigual is present in 72 countries with 7,830 points-of-sale. Of these, 180 are Desigual shops, 650 are corners in department stores and the rest are multi-brand shops.

Desigual, feature of the month
Desigual, unstoppable growth in the international markets
Desigual opens its flagship shop in Paris