Swarovski Expands New Business Model With Opening of a Licensed Boutique at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

NEW YORK, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Swarovski, the leading designer and producer of fashion jewelry, is partnering with Areas USA, a leading provider of retail services in the travel hospitality industry, to open a licensed boutique at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport in mid July 2010. The opening is part of Swarovski's plans to develop its licensed boutique model. The 567 square foot space will offer Swarovski's full range of fashion jewelry and watches, as well as home accessories and decor objects.

"The licensed boutique model represents an enormous growth opportunity for the Swarovski retail business," said Kevin Coen, E.V.P. of Swarovski North America Limited's Consumer Goods Business. "Swarovski's existing licensed boutiques have experienced impressive sales per square foot results, which proves they are a successful business model and we have high expectations for our new location at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport. We are aggressively pursuing our strategy of opening Swarovski licensed boutiques in highly trafficked airports and casinos around the country. Our goal is to aggressively grow this portion of our business as we continue to align ourselves with great partners like Areas USA."

"Swarovski is the ideal partner for this retail location at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, which is the busiest airport in the world. We wanted a brand that would attract a broad range of airport shoppers and generate a high level of appeal. Swarovski's strong recognition and positioning as an accessible luxury brand fits perfectly with Areas USA's specialty retail concepts and our commitment to providing the very best products and services to our passengers at the Atlanta Airport," said Tim Kinder, Director of Merchandise for Areas USA.

Swarovski currently has eight licensed boutiques in the United States with locations at Foxwoods Resort Casino, John F. Kennedy Airport, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, the Palazzo Resort Hotel & Casino, the Venetian Las Vegas Resort Hotel Casino and the Eldorado Hotel Casino among others. Swarovski is targeting high traffic airport, casino, mall and hospitality locations for its licensed boutique expansion. The company's goal is to have between 20 to 25 licensed boutiques opened by the end of

2010.

Swarovski has a presence in three other U.S. airports with a licensed boutique in John F. Kennedy Airport and its own boutiques in the Philadelphia Airport and the Pittsburgh Airport. In addition, Swarovski has its own network of more than 230 retail stores throughout the country. Swarovski's global retail operation comprises of more than 1,700 boutiques in 120 countries.

About Swarovski

In 1895, Daniel Swarovski I, a Bohemian inventor and visionary, moved to the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, with his newly-invented machine for cutting and polishing crystal jewellery stones. From this beginning that revolutionised the fashion world, Swarovski has grown to be the world's leading producer of precision-cut crystal for fashion, jewellery and more recently lighting, architecture and interiors. Today, the Swarovski group, still

family-owned and run by 4th and 5th generation family members, has a global reach with some 24,800 employees, a presence in over 120 countries and a turnover in 2009 of 2.25 billion Euros. Swarovski comprises two major businesses, one producing and selling loose elements to the industry and the other creating design- driven finished products. Swarovski crystals have become an essential ingredient of international design. Since

1965 the company has also catered to the fine jewellery industry with precision-cut genuine and created gemstones. Showing the creativity that lies at the heart of the company, Swarovski's own brand lines of accessories, jewellery and home décor items are sold through more than 1,800 retail outlets worldwide. The Swarovski Crystal Society has close to 350,000 members across the world, keen collectors of the celebrated crystal figurines. And in Wattens, Swarovski Kristallwelten, the multi-media crystal museum, was opened in 1995 as a celebration of Swarovski's universe of innovation and inspiration. The Swarovski group also includes Tyrolit®, manufacturing grinding tools, Swareflex, for road safety reflectors and Swarovski Optik, producing precision optical instruments

About Areas USA

Areas USA is a leading provider of food, beverage and retail services in the U.S. travel industry. With the ever- growing number of establishments in the U.S., including Miami International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Indianapolis International Airport, Detroit Metro Airport, San Jose's Norman Y. Mineta International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Indianapolis International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Reagan National Airport among others, Areas USA continues to deliver its superior customer service to each and every traveler. Its parent company, Areas S.A., began doing business in 1968 and is a leader in Spain and Latin America's hospitality and retail market in airports, highways and railway stations. It operates more than 1,200 establishments worldwide.

More information can be found at www.areas.es  

SOURCE Swarovski