Galton Voysey eyes China growth

As it marks its third anniversary, Hong Kong-headquartered online luxury goods retailer Galton Voysey is recruiting more staff and expanding its presence in Mainland China.

Galton Voysey was founded by 28-year-old French woman Marine Aubrée Antikainen and its biggest investor is William Wolfram, 24, who believed the biggest brands of the next 50 years have not yet been built.

“Growing up with the internet made it natural for us to rethink the traditional luxury goods market. Using agile methodologies and fresh thinking, there is room for disruption,” said Antikainen.

Galton Voysey believes it is disrupting the global luxury goods market with new and fresh thinking, in many cases helping brands go direct from factory to consumer through their own brand websites.

Unlike large luxury goods conglomerates who are struggling to go digital, Galton Voysey is an agile, fully independently owned business. Antikainen runs a team of digital natives: experienced brand builders, big data analysts, designers, marketers and business professionals.

The foundation of Galton Voysey’s operations is the relationships with a large network of carefully selected manufacturers based out of select provinces in China, as well as France, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and India.

“We have nine different nationalities in the team, and we foster our warm trust-based relationships with our vast network of suppliers,” said Antoine Le Flamanc, a French national in charge of multi-brand operations at Galton Voysey.

The majority of Galton Voysey’s sales are generated by their brands selling directly to consumers through their branded web stores’ serving tens of thousands of customers in 41 countries around the world. Galton Voysey’s annual sales directly to consumers exceed US$50 million, far in excess of any sales Galton Voysey generates through working with other retailers or partners.

This is similar to the methodologies successfully used by brands like Warby Parker, Dollar Shave Club and Daniel Wellington. Galton Voysey has partnered up with, acquired and in many cases developed from the ground up, brand concepts taking them from initial idea all the way to final product and post sales service.

“Design is at the heart of Galton Voysey’s operations,” says Estelle Rigoudy Kerby, creative project manager and a French national who works directly with Galton Voysey’s key designers.

“We give our designers the freedom and flexibility to innovate, explore and test the boundaries of contemporary design without skimping on material costs or cutting corners in packaging and presentation. This is why we have become an employer of choice for some of the most talented designers in the world,” said Kerby.

Galton Voysey says it has invested millions of dollars in marketing to build awareness of its brands and drive sales, being one of the top advertisers on Facebook in certain select categories.

“While Western Europe and the US remain some of our most important markets today, we are continuing to invest in our ever-growing segment of quality conscious, brand focused consumers in China,” said Antikainen.

“We are excited to be a part of the race in becoming one of the most prominent providers of quality goods in the world’s largest luxury goods market: China.”

You have 7 articles remaining. Unlock 15 free articles a month, it’s free.