History
bugatti: from coat to lifestyle brand
It all began with a telephone directory for the capital of fashion, Milan. Klaus-Jürgen Möller, head of marketing at the Brinkmann company, obtained the telephone directory to look for an Italian sounding name for the company’s new fashion range, soon to discover it right near the front – bugatti. This resonant, catchy-sounding name was adopted at once. Once the brand was registered at the patent office on 26.05.1978 the first bugatti coats were produced at Herford. The bugatti quilted coats were the first to successfully break into the market in 1981. The next few years saw the brand effectively strengthen its position, first with leisurewear, then with the travel collection including pants, belts, bags and umbrellas. The bugatti colour assortment made it possible to freely mix and match the individual elements. In 1991 the company granted licences for shoes, and then for numerous other products such as shirts, knitwear, ties, belts, socks and jeans over the subsequent years. The bugatti collection achieved growth through its own lines, such as the sports Jacket range, first launched in 1992, as well as by granting licences to reliable partners.
From clothing to lifestyle
In order to establish the brand with the consumer, the first bugatti event was held on the premises of Hettlage, Düsseldorf, as early as 1983. In 2007, there were more than 100 bugatti events. Consumer advertising in magazines began in 1984. During the nineteen nineties bugatti changed from a pure menswear brand to a lifestyle brand. Granting licences for bags and luggage articles, linen and towelling articles, small leatherware items, umbrellas, home textiles and sleeping systems makes it possible for customers to give a bugatti structure to their lifestyle.
Innovation is the order of the day
A contract with Gore-Tex, concluded in 1988, saw the beginning of the consistent process of development pursued by bugatti and the Brinkmann Group to this day – incorporating innovative materials into fashionable and functional clothing. Apart from Gore-Tex products, other examples are the Outlast temperature regulation system with its roots in space research. In 2001, bugatti suits incorporating the Fresh Concept withstood the ultimate test with Günther Jauch on a Stern TV programme. 2004 saw the successful launch of clothing featuring nano protection, a new type of stain protection system providing effective protection against oil, dust, dirt and much more. In 2006, a Jacket with inbuilt heating caused a stir. This functional “Active AirCondition” ventilation system concept was persevered with throughout 2007/2008.
bugatti international
The bugatti brand went international during the nineteen nineties when it took over marketing rights for the Benelux countries in 1990, followed by those of the UK and Finland in 1998, the same year the first
bugatti shop outside Germany was opened in Prague. An agreement with the VW Group, which, in the meantime, had taken over rights in the Bugatti car brand, made it possible to further widen the export markets to include France and Italy, amongst others, one year later. In the year 2000 bugatti decided to make a presentation at the famous Pitti Immagine UOMO fashion trade fair held in Florence.
With an export share of more than 50% plus a market presence in more than 60 countries worldwide, ranging from Canada to China to Australia, bugatti is now a true global player.
bugatti: the upper mid-range brand
The fact that recourse to the Milan telephone directory a quarter of a century ago paid off is evident from the success of the bugatti brand, the brand awareness level of which has risen from 6% to 50% amongst the German population since 1984. Amongst the highest paid the figure is even almost 60%. Today, bugatti accounts for almost one third of the Brinkmann Group’s total turnover of 242 million Euro. Added to this are the permanently increasing bugatti sales volumes of the 15 licensees. “Our national and international partners profit from the fashion expertise and the strong price/performance ratio of a well-known brand in the medium to upper price segment”, states Klaus Brinkmann, Managing Partner of the Brinkmann Group.
bugatti invests in brand and floor space
bugatti is undergoing a vertical revolution in terms of floor space expansion. Shop-in-Shop floor space with partners plus bugatti stores are essential to growth, bugatti believes. But the changeover from manufacturer thinking to retailer thinking presents challenges for the entire company, although today’s more than 500 instances of floor space on partner premises both at home and abroad testifies to the success of this strategy. On the international stage, the first bugatti store was opened in Canberra, Australia, in 2007, as well as one in Ufa, Russia, five in Poland, three in China, one in Oman and one on the island of Sylt. In Germany, in 2008, stores were opened in Warnemünde, Essen, Iserlohn and Lübeck. More store projects are planned for this year, in Russia (Moscow/Samara, Rostov), the Czech Republic (Prague) and Poland (Warsaw). In China, bugatti stores were opened in Peking, Shenyang, Shenzhen and Beichen in time for the Olympic Games, and five are to follow in Changchun, Shenyang and Peking, for example.
An ambitious programme has been adopted for the next few years. At least 150 new shop-in-shops are to be opened in cooperation with trading partners. There will be at least 22 bugatti stores by the end of 2008. The plan is to open another 15 stores per year over the next few years. The intention is for the retail sector to account for at least 20% of total bugatti sales within the next five years.
