Ben Bridge, the largest multiple on the West Coast, has been through a major transformation over the past year, in particular halving its store count after selling all its franchise Pandora boutiques back to the Danish jewelry brand.
That deal, and another store sold to Watches of Switzerland Group, has streamlined the group and reduced the network from more than 80 doors at the start of 2021 to around 37 today.
The business, which is owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, is now leaner and well capitalized for a strategic shift upmarket, according to CEO Lisa Bridge.
“We have wonderful stores and great people. We have really focused on the Ben Bridge brand. We want to be in locations that reflect who and what we are now. That means we need the right brands to be partners with,” she tells WATCHPRO.
On street and shopping mall showrooms are getting upgraded to take maximum advantage of their locations and demographics.
It is not a cookie cutter plan because each location is different. What is common to all is that Ben Bridge will be the primary retail brand, supported by the appropriate watch and jewelry brands.
“We are really investing in key locations and growing the importance of Ben Bridge in each of those places,” Ms Bridge says.
The biggest project of the year is the relocation of Ben Bridge’s flagship store in its home city of Seattle.
Details are still under wraps, but Ms Bridge shared an exclusive image of the entrance to the new showroom (pictured top), which features a striking interlaced BB logo in gold and a Rolex boutique beyond.
“If you look at what we are doing with our home city flagship store in Seattle. We are moving that store from where it has stood for 94 years to a big beautiful prime location on the best corner in the city where we have a big, tall open space. That raises the status of the store and makes it more important to our customers and to the brands we work with,” she describes.