Aussies the jewel in Bulgari sales crown

AUSTRALIA’S place in the global luxury goods market has been underscored with the arrival of 200 one-of-a-kind precious pieces from Bulgari.

Bulgari

WITH the average piece selling for $100,000, — yes, the average — Bulgari’s stunning jewellery may sit a little outside the budget of many Australians.

But, as the brand celebrates its 130th anniversary, Australia’s place in the global luxury goods market has been underscored with the arrival of 200 one-of-a-kind precious pieces by the Rome-based company — and a 70-strong contingent of its senior executives.

Australians are in fact the world’s highest spenders per capita on Bulgari, said chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin.

“Australia has been an extraordinary success story,” he said. “It’s all the more stunning because until recently we have had very little high (precious) jewellery in Australia.”

Established in 1884, Bulgari made its name in fine jewellery, then watches and more recently, accessories, such as leather goods, fragrance and cosmetics.

Australia is the second stop in the company’s global anniversary celebrations, with Sydney chosen as the destination for the Asia-Pacific event, complete with the one-off pieces and 20 luxury watches.

Part of the collection will go on sale at the company’s stores in Sydney and Melbhourne.

“It’s a huge investment because each piece has an average price of $100,000 and you need 20 to 30 pieces per store to represent the brand properly, so per store we talking about a $3 million to $4m investment,” Mr Babin said.

The company declined to reveal the total value of the travelling collection. The Australian understands one item alone carries a price tag of $8m.