Wolf Opens First Physical Store In 190 Years: The Business Behind Luxury Watch Cases

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The watch industry has experienced a well-received boom in recent years. One niche aspect of this market that is often overlooked by outsiders, but retains importance among watch enthusiasts, is that of boxes and cases for the cherished accessory. It is a market, alongside jewellery boxes, that Wolf has been championing for 190 years, yet it is only now that the brand has ventured into the physical retail space for the first time.

Currently under its fifth-generation of family ownership, the company is being led by chief executive officer Simon Philip Wolf V, who had initially begun his journey as an apprentice for his father, Philip Wolf IV. Since taking the reins, Simon has been responsible for leading certain growth trajectories of the Wolf brand, overseeing its move across to the American and Canadian markets and now continuing to build on the business' legacy as a creator of luxury jewellery and accessory boxes. This has also involved an expansion into the small leather goods and handbag categories, moves that were initiated in 2022 and have since become established fixtures.

Speaking to FashionUnited, Wolf elaborated on the challenges and opportunities that come with overseeing a brand with such strong generational ties. He noted: "It's all about the people. I have a great team who are all aligned with a common goal to drive the business forward. From product design, finding new innovations in technology and sustainable materials to make them with; to marketing using digital methods to reach more and more people; to sales working hard to increase retailers who stock Wolf and training them to understand why we are the best to pass onto their customers. It's not easy, but managing these teams around the world is made easier by how focused we are as one big Wolf family."

Much of this growth could also be attributed to the boost in Wolf's core markets, jewellery and watches, which are about equal in terms of sales for the company. Wolf's patented watch winders lead the way, however, pointing to the rapid wider growth of the gadget, whose global market size was valued at 100 billion dollars in 2023. This is only expected to jump up even further by the end of 2030 to 180 billion dollars, according to the Verified Markets Report, which cited Wolf as one of the main drivers in this field.