All of the staff concerned will be a position elsewhere in Chanel

As competitors in the luxury, Chanel sharpens its strategy to deal with the economic and financial crisis world. In Asia, one of its major markets and where the sales slowdown has been more marked with the United States, the Group decided to rationalize its network of boutiques. He decided to close the Japan on a total of 39, "for reasons of customer flow" 2 points of sale. ' They are located, one in Osaka and the other on the island of Kyushu, in places today less frequented by luxury customers, explains Bruno Pavlosky, Chairman mode of house activities. All of the staff concerned will be a position elsewhere in Chanel.

At the same time, the claw indicates that it will pursue its plan for renovations and openings in the country, "because we are confident in this market." It is open next spring a large shop in Tokyo, in the Aoyama district. The majority of luxury brands saw their sales decline year last to the Japan. Vuitton (LVMH, owner of the "voices") released in December his project to open a flagship store in the Ginza district in Tokyo.

In the United States, where is installed since 2007 the direction of Chanel, and inhabited by the owners, family Wertheimer, Luxury House is opening or closing in 2009. But it will renovate his shop in San Francisco and "maintain its advertising investments.

Accommodation in France

The family group has decided to tighten bolts, because it provides "a slowdown in growth for 2009", while its sales have continued to make progress in 2008 in "all of its activities. Net sales (non-press release) of the French House present in the apparel, cosmetics, accessories and watchmaking-jewellery, is estimated to be approximately EUR 2.5 billion. To deal with the storm, the company therefore plays caution, even if "the results of early in the year in the points of sale were slightly higher than what the economic situation portended", according to Bruno Pavlosky.

In France, Chanel has terminated in December 200 CSD and acting, according to the CGT, including 16 positions in his historic shop of the rue Cambon in Paris. For its part, branch says that it is not the intention to terminate its CSD all: "We took action on some sites, such as the adaptation of working time, as we do whenever the production load fluctuates downward to increase," said President of fashion activities. The Group employs more than 3,000 employees in the hexagon on 16,000 in the world.

More generally, as LVMH or Gucci, Chanel will reduce its current expenses, including his travel expenses, seminars or consultants. In addition these adaptation measures, the House will maintain its strategic judged investments.

In 2009, a thirty openings and renovations of shops are thus planned in the world, in Yekaterinburg in Russia, Dubai or Shanghai, after 25 of 2008. Chanel also maintains its project of grand centre of R & D in the Paris region, on the horizon of three years, to bring together research units today dispersed between Neuilly, Sophia-Antipolis, Pantin and Piscataway in the United States.