Cigar specialist Oettinger Davidoff is celebrating a series of
store openings, new launches and other exciting initiatives in its 140th
anniversary year. The Basel-based company is opening a Davidoff shop on the
Grossbasel side of the Middle Rhine Bridge in Basel, just a few steps from
Eisengasse, where Max Oettinger started selling tobacco products from his
Havana House in 1875. The Bavarian-born entrepreneur laid the foundations for
the success of today's Oettinger Davidoff, which now, 140 years later, is
marking its anniversary year by opening a new store with a luxurious cigar
lounge at almost the same location.
As a further homage to the company's founder, to its later
"godfather" Dr Ernst Schneider, as well as to the man who gave the
company its name, Zino Davidoff, the original Davidoff flagship store in Geneva
has been renovated. The Davidoff family's core business, which Zino sold in
1970 together with the Davidoff brand to his business partner and friend
Schneider, has a special significance for Oettinger Davidoff. The company wants
to underline this by reopening the store in this anniversary year.
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| Davidoff's remodelled store in Geneva |
Reopening of mother store in Geneva
The anniversary year also brings further renovations and new
openings. Chief among these was the reopening in March of the group’s mother
store in Geneva. “We are proud to celebrate the reopening of our mother store
here in Geneva in this particular year, which marks the 140th anniversary of
Oettinger Davidoff AG," said Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, CEO and member of the Board of Oettinger Davidoff AG. "What makes the opening all the more special is that
this shop, founded in 1911, is the true mother place of the Davidoff of Geneva
Experience which significantly shaped our company.”
World’s first
in-store holographic box
“The challenge in redesigning this unique cigar shop was to
preserve its history but to continue our mission to delight and surprise our consumers
worldwide by delivering unique brands and unrivalled retail experiences,”
explained Thomas Mathys, manager of the Geneva flagship.
The Geneva location boasts around 100sq m, which includes a
30sq m walk-in humidor and a retail and accessories section covering some 70sq
m. The humidor has been designed with a ceiling covered in real tobacco leaves,
emulating a cigar production factory in the Dominican Republic. The store’s
exclusive interior design combines lush woods and natural materials in earthy
tones that are reminiscent of the colour of the cigars. The decor is
accentuated with shades of copper and adorned with a Light Forest chandelier
from Studio Ontwerpduo at the entrance that recalls the tropical flowers of the
Dominican Republic.
The store’s limited editions include the Masterpiece Humidor
Collection “Cave de Paille”, created by renowned French artist Lison de Caunes. According to the company, it is also the first Davidoff store in the world to display a holographic box, and the
first film will feature the new Winston Churchill cigar campaign.
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| Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard (right) with Sir Winston Churchill's great-grandson Randolph Churchill |
Winston Churchill
brand relaunched
Oettinger Davidoff is also marking its anniversary by relaunching the Winston
Churchill brand. In contrast to the original launch seven years ago, the brand
is being integrated as a separate line within the Davidoff product range. The
new range, named after the cigar-loving British prime minister, harmonises the
tobaccos of Nicaragua, Mexico, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
“The great man’s persona, the trait of character, was the
inspiration for the chosen formats,” CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard said of the cigar range, adding:
“We feel sure that Sir Winston would have enjoyed sharing one of these
exceptional cigars which surely do justice to one of the most celebrated cigar
lovers in history: The Aristocrat, The Artist, The Commander, The Raconteur,
The Statesman, The Traveler – these are cigars of character.”
New Hourglass Lounge concierge service
In addition, the company has launched the Hourglass Lounge,
the world’s first concierge service for cigar aficionados, which offers its
members exclusive access to the finest lounges and events, limited editions
before anyone else and more.
Hoejsgaard’s aim is to ensure that Oettinger Davidoff
continues to grow in terms of core CHF1.2bn turnover in its anniversary year.
To achieve this planned growth, the company is investing significant funds in
the launch of new brands and the relaunch of existing ones with high growth
potential, as well as expanding the product portfolio. Oettinger Davidoff also
aims to extend its global sales network.
Meanwhile, with the inauguration of the International Art
Residency in February 2015, the company is also using the anniversary to
confirm its commitment to philanthropy. The official opening of the
International Art Residency in the Dominican Republic completes the Davidoff
Art Initiative launched in 2012. The residency is the cornerstone of the initiative and is intended to provide opportunities for creative exchange
between the Caribbean/Dominican Republic and the rest of the world.
Visit the new microsite at www.oettingerdavidoff.com
