Pomellato‘s first Canadian location has opened at Vancouver’s Pacific Centre. The 1,050 square foot boutique is the brand’s fifth free-standing North American store, and is operated by franchisee Vestis Fashion Group.
Pomellato is located in retail space adjacent to the mall entrance of Vancouver’s Four Seasons Hotel. It replaces the Pacific Pen Shop as well as a portion of the retail space previously occupied by watch retailer La Swiss.Â
Pomellato’s Canadian franchisee, Vestis Fashion Group, also operates Vancouver’s three Max Mara and two Bluebird stores –including Max Mara’s recently expanded Pacific Centre location. Vestis also operates Calgary’s Max Mara business, which will include a new Max Mara store set to open in October of 2015 at Chinook Centre.
Catherine Guadagnuolo, owner of Vestis, says Pomellato approached her to open in Vancouver, given her knowledge of the market and resultant success with Max Mara’s Western Canadian franchises. Vancouver sells more Max Mara clothing than any city in North America, and it also has the highest density of the brand’s stores. Whereas most luxury jewellery purchases are made by men for women, Pomellato’s customer is about 85% female, according to Ms. Guadagnuolo.
The most expensive item in the Vancouver store is a one-of-a-kind $150,000 sapphire ring. Not all prices are as high – many silver pieces retail for less than $1,000, though rings with coloured stones tend to cost in the $1,700-$3,000 range. Founded in 1967 in Milan, Pomellato is known for using coloured semi-precious stones in its jewellery designs. Owned by french multinational company Kering, Pomellato is one of Europe’s top five selling jewellers in terms of sales. It has four free-standing American stores, all in prestigious shopping areas: Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Madison Avenue in New York City, the Bal Harbour Shops near Miami, and East Oak Street in Chicago.
