The global economic crisis has sent many a business reeling, including the watch industry. However, in hard times, what matters most is the strength - a key factor not just in keeping the business afloat, but keeps it growing. Such is the case of Ebel Watch Company, a luxury Swiss watchmaker with a long history of grandeur. Established in 1911, Ebel's motto “The Architects of Time” says pretty much everything about its area of expertise. The varied collections of Ebel watches adopt Ebel's signature design elements including sleek lines, streamlined curves and integrated cases and bracelets. Designed for practical use, Ebel watches incorporate comfort into style, merging technology with creativity to offer an appealing combination. In a recent interview, Loek Oprinsen, president and commercial director of Ebel luxury watch brand, disclosed the company's strategies and its partnership with Al Ghazali Group, Ebel's distributor in Saudi Arabia. Excepts follow: What is the main purpose and objective of your visit to Saudi Arabia? Is this your first visit to the Kingdom? What's your impression about KSA? Yes, it's my first visit to the Kingdom after I was appointed president of Ebel in February 2009. I heard lot about Middle-East. It's totally different when you see it with your eyes. We have seen lot of Al Ghazali stores. I am deeply impressed with the quality of stores and the quality of personnel, their dedication and commitment toward Ebel and am very proud to see this partnership here. The stores are very professionally decorated and they stand out. The services centers in Riyadh and Jeddah are fully equipped. Since you deal in luxury segment of watches, how do you position Ebel when compared to other brands in the market - in particular Saudi and Arab markets - GCC, Levant and MENA? There are other brands in the market with different price levels. But we have a pretty decent market share. How do you evaluate Arab market in terms of Ebel market share compared to European and Far East markets? Do you have any figures? I don't have for KSA. For the ME area 7-8 percent depending on typology of watches its approx 10 percent which is significant. Your brand serves both genders. Is it more popular with men or with ladies? It depends on the area. We are very happy that in this part of the world gender mix is pretty much equal and in other markets is more feminine. On the global scale, one could say its 70 percent female and 30 percent male and in the Middle East area, it is 50-50 especially here in the Kingdom. You have years of association with Al Ghazali in Saudi Arabia. How do you see this partnership? What is the future strategy? Cooperation with Al Ghazali is very special one. It's 30 years history with Ebel. We respect the relations - we faced success and challenges together. It is our ambition to further develop and intensify the relations. There are lots of rumors, the West is focused on India and China, but we will stick to our traditional markets. We want to invest in this association. Saudi Arabia is among top 15 markets, and within Middle East it's No. 1. Our customers are loyal to Ebel and our privileged customers are buying Ebel. Despite economic crisis, we are on a positive momentum and selling more watches. We take this market very seriously. We kept our regional offices in Dubai so our team is very close to Saudi Arabia. When we have new collection. We usually have to select the market as a priority, because we do not have the capacity to supply the entire world. We always consider KSA as priority, including US, Germany and Switzerland. How often does Ebel introduce new models and designs? And what is the logic/strategy behind introducing new models? Al Ghazali is a renowned and respectable group. They have a name and they know the market. What influence does the group have in launching new models, designs, etc? We had a fair in Basle, in which we introduced new designs. What we do is we look into local markets. We look at competition and what Ebel can do to maximize performances. Cooperation with local teams, especially Al Ghazali is of crucial importance because everyday they see the final customer. They know what is good and what is not. Al Ghazali gives us valuable information for our strategy and for the product. We regularly do product development meetings. Do you introduce limited edition models/designs? Yes, we do it regularly and two years from now is our 100th anniversary. It's an opportunity to do something with Al Ghazali in such an important market. We will be much honored to do that. What is Ebel's unique selling proposition? Is it technology or design? It is more on design. The finish and polishing are our unique points. What conclusions did you reach after this year's Basle fair considering the world present crisis? Are you more optimistic about the market evolution for watches in the near future? It will remain a challenging time. We don't see the crisis flying over. We have been affected, even in the US. But we are prepared for it. We are focused on our strengths. A number of shopping malls are coming across the Kingdom. Do you have any expansion plans? I mean plans to open new boutiques across the Kingdom? It's definitely an angle we look into. If we open any boutique in the world, it will be definitely here with our partner Al Ghazali. We keep that option a serious one for the future. Are you satisfied with sales figures in Saudi Arabia? Yes. Extremely satisfied. We don't disclose figures or quantities but Saudi is a big market. Local people do business with Al Ghazali in 32 point of sales and they all perform very well. We increased. We sell more to the customers than last year. We are more than happy with Al Ghazali.
