ighteen years after the reopening of its Geneva boutique, Boucheron continues its expansion in Switzerland with a new address in Zurich, at number 37 of the city’s famous Bahnhofstrasse. This is a particularly symbolic event, as it marks the one-hundredth opening by the jeweller whose founder, Frédéric Boucheron, was the first to move to Place Vendôme in Paris, in 1893. Unlike the Geneva store, the Zürich boutique is not operated by Boucheron, but is a franchise.
Extending over 170 square metres on two levels, it was designed in accordance with Boucheron’s principle that each of its boutiques should possess its own identity. The theme chosen for Zürich is water. The sensation, on stepping over the threshold, is one of entering a private home, with artwork on the walls, and a mix of contemporary and Art Deco furniture. The whole space is permeated by soft, aquatic shades from sky blue to celadon. Even the carpet in the VIP salon appears to be woven from a multitude of water droplets. It was specially created by fibre artist Morgane Baroghel-Crucq.
Speaking in Paris in January, Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, at the head of the house for ten years, described the importance of this opening and of the German-speaking Swiss market for Boucheron.
Europa Star Jewellery: Eighteen years separate the reopening of the Geneva boutique and the opening in Zurich. Why is that?
Hélène Poulit-Duquesne: Purely and simply a matter of opportunity. We’ve opened with an external partner and we began discussions in 2019, but we had to find the right location. We had the opportunity to take over a former Van Cleef & Arpels boutique that had come free on Bahnhofstrasse. We’d always wanted to be present on this street, at that exact spot.
So Boucheron doesn’t own the boutique?
No. We have 100 boutiques worldwide—the one in Zurich is actually the hundredth. Of these, we operate 70 ourselves and the remaining 30 are franchises. The end customer doesn’t see the difference as they are all designed to the same concept, wherever they are in the world. For the external boutiques, we do sell-in: the partner pays the rent, employee salaries and holds the stock. We did have a lot of franchises in the Middle East but recently we brought Dubai and Abu Dhabi in-house. However, we do have franchises in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Korea and China. In some countries we’re obliged to work with a local partner.
What does Zurich and the German-speaking Swiss market represent?
Zurich is an important catchment area. I’ve heard journalists say it’s a really small market but I’m not convinced. I know from experience that luxury and jewellery houses make part of their revenue in Zurich thanks to a large international and local clientele of wealthy individuals, on whom we’re counting.
You’ve developed a concept in which each boutique has its own identity. How does this work?
We created this concept with the Lecoadic-Scotto architectural studio and apply it to all our boutiques. First, we defined a framework. As well as the logo on the façade, certain recurring features show that this is a Boucheron boutique. Features such as light fittings by Pierre Chareau, the green marble door frames between rooms, certain items of furniture, possibly in different sizes or colours. Alongside this, we decide on a theme which we use to tell a particular story at each boutique. The artwork, books, fabrics, colours, certain pieces of furniture, they’re all different. Visually, you know you’re at Boucheron but the decoration changes each time.
Why did you want each boutique to be different?
In a previous professional life, I spent years travelling and, after visiting 20 boutiques, could no longer tell one from the other. They all looked the same. When I joined Boucheron, I chose another approach. I wanted someone to be able to come into our boutiques and enjoy a different experience every time.
What theme did you choose for Zurich?
We chose water, because of the many fountains in Zurich, and summery colours with blues, yellows and golds.
In a previous interview, you mentioned that you chose all the fabric, wallpaper and paint. Is that still the case?
It is. I choose all the fabrics, all the wallpaper, all the paint, all the materials to be certain they correspond to my vision of Boucheron. My favourite work meetings, apart from when we’re discussing creations with Claire Choisne, our creative director, are what we call our boutique committees. We sit down together in a big room and begin by studying the architectural plan. I’m lucky in that I’m able to picture things in three dimensions, so I can immediately visualise the finished space with the walls around it, and envisage any changes that need to be made. Next, we look at customer flow. Once we’ve approved these points, the next step is to select materials, colours and textures. Teams bring these huge trays with samples of fabrics and carpets, and I start choosing.
Will the Zurich boutique have any of the high jewellery pieces from the collections presented in Paris, in January and July?
A priori no, but you will find the classic collections you can see in all our boutiques. However, should our partner wish to organise a high jewellery event, we could loan certain pieces.
This is the one-hundredth Boucheron boutique. What does this represent for you?
I’m delighted to be celebrating our one-hundredth opening, which happens to be Zurich, because when I arrived as CEO, we had 53 boutiques. The network has virtually doubled in ten years and is much more focused on quality. We’ve closed boutiques that were too small or weren’t in the right place. We don’t plan to have 300 boutiques, like certain of the big names on Place Vendôme, but we have set an objective of one hundred and thirty.
You’re opening this one-hundredth boutique in your tenth year at the head of Boucheron. What do 100 and 10 mean to you?
A hundred boutiques is a milestone. As for the ten years, they’ve flown by! I’m as enthusiastic, as passionate, as on the first day. Boucheron has grown so much, changed so much! Such a lot has happened and with so many new things happening every day, I’m constantly busy.
Looking ahead, what will the next milestone be?
There are so many! The United States is our Eldorado. We’re only just expanding into the US market and it’s a project that will carry us for years. A company is a living, polymorphous organism. It moves and changes, and Boucheron is in the midst of transition, from an overweight SME to a multinational. We’ve reached a size that implies a lot of changes while maintaining our corporate culture, which is hugely important to me. As a businesswoman at the head of a company, these are exciting times.
