Luxury maison Montblanc ensures that its products and experiences are in a class of their own – witness the launch of the Montblanc Patron of Art Homage to Hadrian Limited Edition collection that took place in Ephesus, Turkey. “Day & Night” magazine took the opportunity to sit down with Franck Juhel, President of Montblanc Middle East, India and Africa, for a long chat on why Montblanc is now focusing on the art of storytelling …
Why are we here in this beautiful Mediterranean region?
We are here in Turkey to launch our new Patron of Arts Limited Edition – Hadrian.
Why did Montblanc choose to honour Hadrian?
This is the 27th personality that we are honouring in our Patron of Arts collection; each time, we try to find the relevant historical character – in terms of someone who is a patron of arts, or of architecture. It is a beautiful gift that during their lifetime they were able to leave and that we are still honouring today. Hadrian had an empire comprising three continents and as an emperor he left us a heritage that is still relevant today. These include the Pantheon in Rome and the Temple of Hadrian here in Ephesus, which we are visiting today.
How does your present stint in the Middle East compare to your earlier posting in Latin America?
The Middle East and Latin America markets are very different and yet similar in some aspects. This was very striking when I arrived in the Middle East two years ago and is still true today. I had spent almost 15 years in Latin America, and the Middle Eastern culture is very different where traditions and heritage play a major role. It is a gift for a maison like us to be in a region like this and especially with a very young demographic – a group to which Montblanc is very relevant. It is similar to Latin America in that, in the Middle East too, people are very welcoming.
In Dubai, for instance, we cannot count the number of different nationalities that are present. The Middle East is very welcoming and this means that gifts play a major role. When you are welcoming people, you are giving them gifts and Montblanc is the perfect maison for gifts.
How is Montblanc doing in the Middle East?
Montblanc has a historical presence in the Middle East, and today in the Middle East we have 40 boutiques, and the growth in the Middle East market has been steady for the past few years. Countries are developing, like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where we have 8 boutiques. We are planning to open another five in the next 2-3 years. Montblanc in the region has a great future ahead.
What would you consider as Montblanc’s strengths?
We have quite a few; we in Montblanc are pioneers – in our products, in our way of designing them, in our way of working together, and in our way of always trying to find new solutions and ways to reach our clients. I would like to quote the example of India, which is part of this region. We have opened 10 boutiques over the past two years in India, because we are pioneers and because we want our clients in India to have the Montblanc experience in their own country, and in their hometown.
Our second strength is that we are storytellers; every product that you see – from watches to writing instruments – tells you a story. There is also a story behind that product, how we arrived at that product and why there are so many details in that product. All the details you find, have a reason to be there, and everything has been thought out. When we talk about Montblanc, we no longer talk about the quality of the product. We know the quality is there, and has been there since the inception of the maison. Our work – and our challenge – today is to make sure that for all of our products, the story we want to tell will be the experience the client will feel when he touches our product.
Speaking of experiences, where did the idea for bespoke or customisation of products come from?
To be frank, I have no idea of who came up with the idea at first. We always work as a team and the reason we came up with that idea is because we are always looking for the best way to serve the clients and customers of the brand. Similar to the way that each of us having different finger prints, each of us also have different ways of writing. My writing is different from the way my daughter, my son, or my father writes. Therefore, one nib cannot answer the needs of the different populations – in terms of styles of writing.
In addition to having your own style of writing, you don’t always use your writing instrument in the same way. You are going to be using it to write a journal; in that case, it would be very slow writing. But when you are signing something, you would be writing very fast. The kind of nib you have to have is not the same. The way you incline your hand when you sign or when you are writing your journal is not the same. Our objective was to make the perfect writing instrument for our clients and friends of the brand.
What are the challenges that Montblanc faces for writing instruments in the Middle East?
Some years ago, when digital made its appearance, not only Montblanc but all of the market, thought that analog – and so the art of writing – would disappear. On the contrary, the more we go digital, the more the demand for analog. For the past few years, we have been seeing growth in the writing instruments category; the kind we have never seen before. I can see only one reason for this; we need to stay grounded and one of the best ways to stay grounded and really express your thoughts is by writing, and not by typing on a keyboard.
Your leather goods category has seen exponential growth in the recent years; your comments?
Leather goods today is one of our fastest-growing categories. This is true of small, medium, and large leather goods. Medium leather good is a new category that has seen good growth for the past couple of years. This is in-between the small leather good and the large leather good categories, and is now becoming the trend. This is also true of our newly launched luggage line, which we unveiled last year. This has been and still is a great success.
What are the challenges for the watches segment?
For watches, the challenges are different. As you are aware, we have different categories of watches. One of our watches is the Summit 2 Smartwatch, our second Connected watch. The challenge there is to get enough pieces from our headquarters. We launched the watch a few months ago and, within a month, all of our boutiques had sold out their stock. Compared to the Summit 1, this was a great success. We had increased the number of watches, but even that was not enough.
In which category are you expecting the largest increase in terms of growth?
The largest growth for the next few years will be in the digital category, with new products and novelties that will come very soon. For instance, a few years ago, we launched the Augmented Paper successfully. The Summit 2 was also a great success. We have a few digital products coming soon; watches and leather will also grow. Today, watches are a great success in all the countries that we are present. Even in a few countries where the Montblanc’s presence is quite new, we are seeing that the watch category is growing very fast. Leather is also growing very fast, with the new luggage category and the medium leather goods. These two lines – mini categories under the leather category – are boosting our sales in all our boutiques.
How do you spend your day when off from work?
Obviously, in my position, I am always connected. However, when I am with my family and kids, I try to give them my quality time – the time I need with them and they need from me. Most of my free time, for instance, during the Eid holidays, I was engaged with them for five days. During those five days, I was completely disconnected, thanks to the fact that it was a holiday for the whole region and I was not the only one not working.
What are your passions?
My first passion are my kids; I think the best moments I have had in my life are the simplest ones – to share a coffee with a friend and talk for hours, go for a walk on the beach or in the countryside. I have a house on an island in Mallorca in Spain, and to go for a walk there by myself is a great way to rejuvenate –something we all need today. In general, the daily exchanges that I have with my friends and my team – the simple exchanges that we share, the simple moments, are what pleases me the most.
What is your message for all the Montblanc enthusiasts?
If I have a message for the Montblanc enthusiasts and friends of the brand, it is this: We shall ensure to keep our promise the way we have been doing since 1906, to surprise you with every product we bring, to bring you the best every time, and to give you the experiences you have been used to – through the quality of our products and our storytelling.
