Jewellery giant Swarovski has promoted Samantha Jeffries to UK and Ireland general manager, elevated after having been a key member of the team for over 10 years, it said.
Jeffries originally joined as London district manager and has since led both retail and wholesale channels, “building the brand experience in the UK and Ireland, and gaining essential knowledge that she will carry forward into her new role”.
Swarovski added: “Taking on responsibilities as both a store manager and channel lead, Samantha understands the importance of curating the customer experience and catering to individual needs.
“She has developed a strong leadership style that nurtures a culture of empowerment for every member of her team. Her appointment marks an exciting step forward for Swarovski’s strategic goals, with the aim of expanding the brand’s Pop Luxury positioning in the UK and Ireland, deepening customer connection and supporting the brand’s continued elevation in the market.”
Jeffries called her new role an “incredible opportunity to lead Swarovski UKI into its next era of growth, driving brand elevation and transformation. Swarovski’s rich heritage and exceptional savoir-faire gives the House a unique position within the jewellery and fashion industry that makes being part of it an incredible experience”.
With openings worldwide, campaigns that blend its alpine roots with urban ambitions, and expansion into new distribution channels, Salomon has achieved undeniable visibility. Since its parent’s IPO in early 2024, the label has pursued an aggressive strategy to build brand awareness and drive activation.
Scott Mellin – Salomon
As global chief brand officer, Scott Mellin has played a key role in this strategy. Joining a year before parent company Amer Sports’ New York IPO, the former The North Face employee, passionate about innovation and marketing, announced on December 15 that he will leave the alpine label on April 1.
“These three years devoted to the brand’s vision have enabled Salomon to achieve remarkable progress,” Mellin said in his message, thanking his teams. “But what I am most proud of lies behind the vision itself: the strengthening of a culture of creativity, deeply rooted in Salomon’s DNA. Together, we have refined our design excellence, improved our communications, and elevated our visual storytelling to a level that stands out in the industry.”
Mellin noted in particular that the label has “doubled our brand awareness and tripled our innovation capital, thanks to a new standard of creative excellence,” and that Salomon now benefits from “a new and improved retailstorytelling concept for the monthly implementation of the master plan,” while management has succeeded in harmonising the global vision for the retail concept.
In the third quarter of 2025, the Performance Outdoor segment, which includes the Salomon brand, saw its sales jump 36% year on year to $724 million.
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Dior has unveiled its latest flagship concept House of Dior Beijing, teaming up with a Pritzker Prize winning architect to create a unique façade for a boutique that retails the first looks by creative director Jonathan Anderson.
The striking façade of Dior’s new address in Beijing – AGENT PAY & Yumeng Zhu
A looming five story structure, House of Dior Beijing is located in the heart of Sanlitun, the most happening district in the Chinese capital for luxury goods and cultural effervescence.
From the VIP lounges to the Monsieur Dior restaurant run by the world’s most Michelin-starred female chef, Anne-Sophie Pic, it’s a path-breaking new retail space.
The store marks the latest Dior project designed by the great French architect Christian de Portzamparc, following on from the brand’s store launches in Seoul in 2015 and Geneva in 2024.
Inside Dior’s new Chinese retail space – AGENT PAY & Yumeng Zhu
The innovative sculptural building is fronted by petal-shaped shells, suggesting the movement of the toiles with which Monsieur Dior dreamed up the New Look. The vertical fronts are punctuated with handcrafted golden glass tiles: a colour traditionally reserved for royalty in China.
While the top floor, echoing the brand’s La Galerie Dior in its Paris flagship at 30 Montaigne, features a monumental spiral staircase and installation- by OMA- filled with white toiles, exemplifying the savoir-faire of the maison’s ateliers.
Ground floor windows feature suitcases that wittily become the settings for dream trips to Paris, with charming scenography, portraying miniature scenes.
The iconic Lady Dior bag is trumpeted in multiple artistic versions while Bobby, Monsieur Dior’s faithful dog, appears in unprecedented proportions.
A room inside House of Dior Beijing – AGENT PAY & Yumeng Zhu
Throughout the store, the design plays on the house’s codes and noble materials. Cabochon parquet flooring, reinterpreted Cannage, and refined touches of gold punctuate the space, alongside cutting-edge furniture and black-and-white photography. The decor is complemented by works of art by Wang Xiyao, Hong Hao, Franck Evennou, and Gio Ponti, echoing Monsieur’s life before fashion when he opened an art gallery in 1920s Paris.
It’s a flagship that retails the full world of Dior: including womenswear, feminine bags, accessories, and shoes- as well as fragrances from La Collection Privée – alongside jewellery, Dior Maison objects, timepieces, and menswear.
Among them all, a deep red ball gown stands alone, adorning the decor with the “colour of life,” in the words of Christian Dior.
Designed to be a house of dreams, the store tops out with a private terrace overlooking the city.
Safilo has confirmed that it will not make a binding offer to acquire British business Inspecs Group plc. The Italian eyewear group disclosed this following the announcement made on December 10 by Inspecs, noting Bidco 1125 Limited’s proposal to acquire it at a price of 84 pence per share.
Safilo
The Padua-based global eyewear company had expressed interest last October in acquiring Inspecs, making an initial approach to the UK-based eyewear designer, manufacturer, and distributor in relation to a potential acquisition of its Eschenbach Group and BoDe assets. Safilo subsequently made two possible non-binding cash offers to acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Inspecs. Both proposals were rejected by Inspecs.
Today Safilo issued an announcement pursuant to Rule 2.8 of the Takeover Code. Accordingly, the company stated that, unless the Panel consents, Safilo (together with any persons acting in concert) will be subject to the restrictions set out in Rule 2.8. These restrictions include, among other things, that for a period of six months Safilo may not announce an offer or possible offer for Inspecs, nor acquire any interest in Inspecs shares that, in aggregate, would confer 30% or more of the voting rights in the British company.
However, Safilo pointed out that, pursuant to Note 2 of Rule 2.8 of the Takeover Code, it reserves the right to depart from these restrictions should certain circumstances arise: if a third party (other than Bidco 1125) announces a firm intention to make an offer for Inspecs; if Inspecs announces a proposed waiver of Rule 9 (relating to the obligation to make a mandatory takeover offer) subject to the approval of independent shareholders, or a reverse takeover (as defined in the Takeover Code); or if the Takeover Panel determines that there has been a material change of circumstances.
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