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Experiments at the edges or innovation by command?

Multi-channel retailing is the buzzword of the era. But the differing paths retailers take to get there are illuminating, and offer a revealing glimpse into why attitudes differ between companies of varying sizes. Aurora Fashions, the British owner of clothing brands including Coast, Warehouse and Oasis, is a mid-sized retailer that, in the words of its chief executive, Mike Shearwood, is prone to the odd “mutation”. “One of the guys from Oasis came and asked for £2,000 to develop something in 2009,” he recalls. The result, he says, was fashion retail’s first transactional iPhone app.

Global landscape, uneven terrain

The onus on retailers to adopt new technologies can be immense. But external constraints can often be the true limiting factor. Inditex, the world&;s largest fashion retailer, knows this only too well. It operates in 82 countries ranging from Kazakhstan to Uruguay via its native Spain.

Defying the downturn

There can be few areas of the world that show so clearly the dangers of over-development than the skyline of Dubai, which once had the highestconcentration of construction cranes in the world. Today, the cranes are idle, the market has stalled and there is a new mood of sobriety.

The importance of local knowledge

Synergy Asset Management is a Geneva-based family office that manages money for several high net worth families in the Middle East and Europe. In 2008, Synergy, together with some private investors, set up the Landmark Real Estate Fund, a Swiss-based real estate investment fund that aims to provide solid, low-risk, steady returns in commercial and residential investment opportunities in Switzerland and other parts of Europe.

Designing a lifestyle

Award-winning interior designers and development managers Candy & Candy, owned by brothers Christian and Nicholas Candy, has designed some of the most sought after homes, private jets and even a yacht for clients. But for the ultrawealthy clients they service, it goes beyond interior design. It is about getting inside their lifestyles to create something that complements the way they live.

Exclusivity in brand extension

Luxury goods companies are not the only ones dealing with a new and demanding business environment. The luxury services sector is also changing dramatically, with innovative new services and business models, which were almost unheard of a decade ago, rapidly becoming well established. In the future, experts believe that luxury services will be one of the fastest-growing and profitable segments of the luxury goods industry.

Founded in 1878, the business built a reputation as a prestigious tannery and finishers, known for the unique aroma and quality of its upholstery leather.

An icon of luxury in a dynamic city

Visitors to Dubai rapidly become accustomed to superlatives. Home to the world’s largest shopping and entertainments complex, the world’s largest indoor ski slope and, in a few months’ time, the world’s tallest skyscraper, this is a city that wears its ambition to be the biggest and best on its sleeve.

Patience is a virtue for investors in China

Chinese demographics are key to understanding this phenomenon. The liberalisation of the Chinese economy has rapidly given birth to a super-rich capitalist class. There are estimated to be some 350,000 US dollar millionaires in China. Just how quickly wealth is growing can be seen from the most recent “China Rich List”, compiled by Hurun, which shows a sevenfold increase in US dollar billionaires in the past year.

Lebara’s customer-centric service offering

Lebara is one of the fastest growing private companies in Europe, originally set up in the Netherlands. Targeted at immigrants, it offers low-cost mobile phone calls to international destinations. But while others might balance this with low-cost service and support, Lebara instead focuses its efforts on never losing its customers by providing excellent service and support, despite the additional costs required. The firm has won several customer service awards, most recently for best customer service at the 2011 UK Mobile News Awards.

Accor embraces transparency

Social media is also changing the way consumers select products and services, based on the real-time views of others. In industries such as travel and tourism, this is already starting to make annually published guidebooks seem redundant, as tourists skip to third-party sites to see up-to-date guest ratings for a hotel or destination.

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