Research Paper on:
Upscale Jeweler Competition

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
and product. In opening such a store, there are already a few marks against the owner in that many of the great names in jewelry have made their names in  two ways: first, through longevity (most of these companies were launched during the 19th century) and second, by clientele. The thing these four companies have in common is that they  direct their message to high-end markets. Below are brief descriptions of the four major houses, their branding, marketing and when available, financial  information. Bulgari Bulgari is a publicly traded company with headquarters in Italy (Hoovers Business (a), 2002). Bulgaris is the third largest jewelry  company in the world (behind Cartier and Tiffany & Co., which will also be reviewed) and offers "prized baubles for the rich and famous" (Hoovers Business (a), 2002). Launched almost  100 years ago, Bulgari reaches its market through approximately 150 retail outlets, as well as select retailers worldwide (Hoovers Business (a), 2002). The product lines include jewelry, watches, leather goods,  silks, fragrances and eyewear (Hoovers Business (a), 2002). Additionally, Bulgari has teamed up with Marriott International to create its own specially branded chain of five-star hotels (Hoovers Business (a), 2002).  Financials. According to a press release on September of 2002, the Bulgari Group announced a "turnover" of $338.3 million (Euro), which  was a decrease of 5.7 percent from the $358.8 million (Euro) from the same period during the previous year (Bulgari Group, 2002). The company noted that the reason for the  decrease was due to a strong decline in tourism and decrease in retailers sales (Bulgari Group, 2002). Operating expenses, however, remained flat (Bulgari Group, 2002). The reason for this was