Publications
Publications
- January 2015 (Revised December 2015)
- HBS Case Collection
Mauboussin
By: Anat Keinan, Sandrine Crener and Audrey Azoulay
Abstract
Mauboussin is a French jewelry brand founded in 1827 in Paris. In the 1920s, the company earned a huge notoriety for capturing the aesthetic and emotional dimension of the Art Deco movement in its design and gained a worldwide reputation for innovation and expertise in the realm of colored stones. Known as the designer for royalty and Hollywood stars, Mauboussin was a legendary jeweler but became complacent and lost its clients. Taken over in 2001 by a new leadership team, Mauboussin engaged in a radically different strategy and abandoned its ultra-prestigious and exclusive positioning to embrace a more accessible and affordable approach. The brand experienced several years of phenomenal commercial success in France, Europe, and Japan, and in 2008, Mauboussin entered the U.S. market where the brand did not meet the expected success. It eventually closed its flagship store in NYC in 2014. Mauboussin's leadership is nonetheless eager to learn from this experience to relaunch successfully in the United States.
Keywords
Luxury; Luxury Brand; Luxury Goods; Jewelry; Jewels; Retail; Brand Repositioning; Brand Rejuventation; Brand Positioning; New Market Development; Entry In The US Market; American Jewelry Market; Global Brands; Growth Strategy; Mauboussin; Entrepreneurship; Failure; International Marketing; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Wealth; Marketing Strategy; Expansion; Brands and Branding; Apparel and Accessories Industry; France
Citation
Keinan, Anat, Sandrine Crener, and Audrey Azoulay. "Mauboussin." Harvard Business School Case 515-076, January 2015. (Revised December 2015.)