Watches of Switzerland Group has debuted its new retail concept store combining two retail brands into one uniquely interconnected boutique.
The Marlton, N.J., store combines a Watches of Switzerland facade with another for one of the company’s brands, Mayors Jewelers. There are two separate entrances for the renovated and expanded space, so shoppers looking for fine jewelry or watches sees the names they’re familiar with.
Inside, the two become one through what the company is calling a shared interior environment. Watches of Switzerland still carries its cadre of luxury watch brands—Rolex, Tudor, Omega, Grand Seiko, and more—and Mayors has its fine jewelry favorites such as Messika, Fope, Marco Bicego, Roberto Coin, and John Hardy.
This is the first Mayors Jewelers in New Jersey. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.–based brand traditionally has opened and operated stores in Florida and Georgia. Watches of Switzerland acquired Mayors Jewelers in 2017 from Canada’s Birks Group.
Altogether, the 4,500-square-foot store is the kind of experience Watches of Switzerland wants to provide its U.S. clients, Jack Gaffaney, president of North America of the Watches of Switzerland Group U.S., said in a statement.
“Debuting this dual showroom format represents an exciting opportunity to bring Mayors and Watches of Switzerland together for the first time,” Gaffaney said. “Introducing Mayors Jewelers, an over 100-year-old institution, to a new region at a best-in-class retail destination like The Promenade at Sagemore, demonstrates our continued commitment to growing the jewelry category alongside the world’s finest timepieces.”
The Promenade at Sagemore in Marlton is an upscale, open-air lifestyle shopping center that also includes Apple, Coach, Talbots, and Pandora as additional retailers.
The interior allows store staff to work with any of the in-store brands with customers. The flooring changes with each brand, going from a neutral tile to a cheery pink-red for Omega or wood for TAG Heuer. The jewelry cases are simple and sleek with glass and metal. The lighting is subtle and the walls are a warm white.
WatchPro’s Rob Corder applauded the dual-branded showroom, calling it “a change in approach to jewelry” for Watches of Switzerland. He said the internally linked store will give Watches of Switzerland a more intentional approach to offering luxury watches to female consumers. He also predicted it could be the end of mono-brand watch boutiques.
“Many [mono-brand boutiques] are failing financially because they require a full-time, dedicated staff, which all too often sit in stores devoid of customers,” Corder wrote. “Multi-brand jewelry and watch showrooms give a broader range of clients myriad more reasons to enter, browse, and shop. More women in a store is likely to lead not only to higher jewelry sales but also improve the ladies’ watch business, something that brands are desperate to achieve.”
Watches of Switzerland as of September had 186 showrooms across the United Kingdom and United States, including 75 dedicated mono-brand boutiques as well as seven retail websites.
Top: The new Marlton, N.J.–based Mayors Jewelers and Watches of Switzerland store is a smart experiment in dual-branded retail, industry observers say. (Photos courtesy of Watches of Switzerland)
