The Chopard boutique on the Rue du Rhône in Geneva recovered a beauty
By MyWatch
Chopard longstanding friends, Anna Netrebko, José Carreras and Erwin Schrott joined the Scheufele family to the ribbon cutting ceremony of the renovated and extended brand’s boutique in Geneva. The happening was followed by a cocktail party for the Genevan watchmaker-jeweler invitees.
A new global concept
In 2007, the House of Chopard launched the new decoration concept for its boutiques by opening a flagship store on Madison Avenue. Designed by the famous French architect Thierry W. Despont, it has since been applied to all new openings and will in due course be present in all the brand’s boutiques. The boutique on the Rue du Rhône, one of the most important for Chopard – which is headquartered in Geneva – was naturally the next boutique chosen to adopt this new look. Renovation and extension work was accordingly conducted from July to December 2012, thereby doubling the sales areas and enabling the brand to welcome customers to new products/novelties in even more favourable conditions.
Warm, intimate atmosphere
Light-toned wood (white oak), opulent leathers, silk and precious velvet, along with a fireplace: Thierry Despont has chosen to maintain the plush, comfortable charm of the former boutiques, while modernising it to create the feeling of visiting a beautiful private home with well-defined areas accommodating Haute Joaillerie creations, watches and accessories. He has done so while focusing on a sense of intimacy conducive to enabling customers to stroll around the stores in a relaxing manner. Each detail of these points of sale has been thought through in conjunction with Caroline Scheufele, co-president of Chopard and head of the brand’s distribution network, who said: “With these new environments, we want to encourage our clients to discover the multiple facets of the Chopard universe.”
Created with the help of centuries-old craftsmanship techniques, the new boutiques successfully combine a fascination for cutting-edge technologies with a love of art and environment-friendliness. The windows are for example made from a type of glass capable of filtering outside light – a highly specific material making it possible to reduce air-conditioning and thereby limit toxic emissions. Struck by the inertia of jewellery windows at night, Thierry Despont had the original idea of installing panels pivoting 24/7. Chopard boutiques thus continue to be both lively and dreamy even outside opening hours.
Impressive expansion
The first Chopard boutique was opened in Hong Kong in 1983. By 1998, there were just 15 points of sale. Since then, brand development has steadily accelerated. The Chopard Group is currently represented in 130 countries through 1,500 points of sale and 145 boutiques, located in the world’s major capitals and in the finest shopping centres. The blossoming of the brand owes much to the location of its boutiques, often the result of lengthy and meticulous research.
To mark the reopening following renovation of its boutique on the Rue du Rhône, Geneva, Chopard gave a major classical music concert on Sunday on behalf of the José Carreras International Foundation for the Fight against Leukaemia, as well as the Anna & Erwin Foundation – Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott for Kids.
Anna Netrebko, José Carreras and Erwin Schrott – three longstanding friends of the Scheufele family that owns Chopard – gave an exceptional performance this Sunday before a full house at Geneva’s Victoria Hall, backed by the Gstaad Festival Orchestra conducted on this occasion by David Giménez.
On stage, after the Gstaad Festival Orchestra played the Overture from William Tell by Giocchino Rossini (1792-1868), the artists notably performed pieces such as “Bess you is my woman” from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (1898-1937) as well as “Quando me’n vo” from The Bohemian Girl by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924).
During the second half of the evening, the artists and Chopard’s guests congregated for a private event held at the nearby Little Buddha restaurant. Dinner was served to the tune of a lively musical accompaniment from the Gypsy Queens.
