By Ian McConnell
Business Editor
SWISS luxury watchmaker Breitling has opened its first boutique in Scotland, launching its “urban loft” retail concept on Glasgow’s Buchanan Street.
It declared that its 60 square-metre boutique in Glasgow, which will be managed by the Watches of Switzerland Group, “stands in bold contrast to classical luxury retail brand environments”.
Breitling, which has been making high-precision timepieces since 1884 and has an association with aviation, manufactures its movements in-house.
READ MORE: Brexit:Ian McConnell — Exporters must battle populist tide as damage racks up
Gavin Murphy, UK managing director of Breitling, said: “As the cultural and creative hub of the UK, Glasgow represents the perfect location for our first boutique in Scotland and marks a significant milestone as we expand Breitling’s accessibility across the UK.
READ MORE: Ian McConnell: No escape from Johnson’s dire Brexit farce in Paris metro and airport
“Designed as an industrial loft, with an informal cool aesthetic, our customers can feel completely relaxed and at home with our innovative boutique approach and unhurried atmosphere. We are delighted to welcome Breitling enthusiasts and those just discovering the brand to explore the full expanse of our…collections at our new home in Scotland.”
Breitling noted the new boutique featured brick walls, walnut furniture, leather upholstery and dark oak floors, with “these rich and refined materials…juxtaposed against rough and rugged elements including concrete walls, brass and metal accents and contemporary graffiti artwork”.
It flagged its “long-standing partnership with the Watches of Switzerland Group.
Breitling described the Watches of Switzerland Group as “the UK’s largest luxury watch retailer”, operating in both the UK and US and “comprising four prestigious brands”, Watches of Switzerland, Mappin & Webb, Goldsmiths, and Mayors.
Craig Bolton, executive director of the Watches of Switzerland Group in the UK, said of the Buchanan Street launch: “We are very pleased to be partnering again with Breitling, opening this stunning boutique in Glasgow. It will be a superb addition to Glasgow’s retail scene and a perfect environment to welcome our clients to, whether they are current devotees or new to the brand.’
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel