First glimpse of Georgini retail debut

3.0 k views | Posted July 27, 2010 |

Georgini has revealed a glimpse of its retail flagship store, which is due to be unveiled in Westfield Sydney when the long-awaited centre opens its doors on October 28.

The store will be Georgini’s first foray into retail. It will be located at street level in the high-traffic Pitt Street Mall, close to both the Pandora and Thomas Sabo stores.

Georgini national sales manager Marissa Gouras said the brand, which specialises in high-quality sterling silver jewellery, wants the store to feel like a luxury retail destination. “I want women to feel like they’ve walked into a Chanel, but they haven’t spent a fortune. Not just with the experience of the store, but with the service as well.”

The brand intends to place great emphasis on customer service, with four full-time and two casual members of staff. “We’re going to be really big on service,” explained Gouras.

Adelaide-born independent consultant David Caon, who built his career in Milan and Paris, has designed the shop. The exterior of the 50 sq m store will feature floor to ceiling glass windows flanked by faux-marble pillars on either side of the entrance. The internal fixtures will be chic and contemporary in style.

The store opening will be backed by a six-month national consumer media advertising campaign, and Georgini is also keen to run opening promotions and a launch event. “We want to look at organising something huge,” said Gouras. However, promotional events have yet to be finalised as they need the approval of Westfield.

Georgini is the latest jewellery brand to invest in retail bricks-and-mortar as a means of building brand presence. Thomas Sabo currently has three stores in Australia and Pandora has more than 30.

Gouras explained that the flagship store will allow the brand to showcase its jewellery in the best possible way, acting as a guide for retail stockists. “The objective of the Sydney flagship is to display Georgini product the way it should be displayed, really setting the standard,” she said.

Georgini launched in 2004 and now has more than 350 stockists in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

> See the September issue of Jeweller for our feature on flagship stores.