Handfuls of luxury come at a price

Britain's high-end retailers look for golden windfall from chinese holidaymakers

Ask any luxury retailer in Britain where their highest-spending customers are from these days, and most will say China. The country appears to have an unquenchable thirst for all-things-top-end, which is now compensating for a major slowdown in European spending.

With hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists expected to flock to Britain for one of China's biggest national holiday which runs from Oct 1-7, British retailers are preparing for spectacular sales. Vertu, the English luxury brand, will be hoping to make hay.

Already popular with celebrities such as Madonna and David Beckham, Vertu has just launched its latest offering, the Aster, just months after introducing the Touch, its previous model.The Touch costs more than $10,000 (7,900 euros), so it is probably safe to assume the Aster will not be any cheaper when it becomes available in Britain from Oct 2.

The new model has already been approved by China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, and combines, according to Vertu, hand craftsmanship, luxury materials, unique services and cutting edge technology, which combine to provide the "ultimate lifestyle smartphone" - right down to a single 117-carat, 12.7-cm piece of solid sapphire crystal that protects its 4.7-inch HD display and 13 megapixel camera lens from scratches.

In contrast to the Touch, which has been popular mainly with male, corporate customers, Aster is designed to be more unisex in style to appeal to those looking for something a little more glamorous, says Massimiliano Pogliani, Vertu's chief executive officer.

"Vertu products make a lifestyle statement. Many of our consumers appreciate rarity and craftsmanship but also products that reflect modern styling and trends in color and material.

"They expect a piece that performs to the utmost standard technically, but is beautiful as an object as well."

(China Daily European Weekly 10/03/2014 page23)