more people in China, People's Republic of rapid Gucci

  A four-story monolith - a section of champagne and celebrity-studded for 1000 The luxury retailer has its largest market in the world to Beijing this month launched. At the store, customers can sit on a throne replica of the castle or find a multimedia installation with the namesake of the new company, Princess Grace of Monaco jewelry collection with the theme.

Said, "We have to distinguish between long-and short-term difference. I think in the long run, that this market continues to strive forward," CEO Lutz Bethge, Montblanc reporters in Beijing. "Even if at some point in time, it is a leap into the Chinese market to be ... in the long run, I see China as a permanent, huge opportunity for us."

It is not the only one. The Chinese capital has seen many inaugurations in recent weeks, such as designer brands this race, which will soon to enter the largest market for luxury goods. McKinsey estimates that sales of luxury goods, China will grow 18 percent annually to reach $ 27 billion - earning the title of the largest luxury goods market in the world - by 2015. Already, Gucci and Prada are a third of its global revenue in China.

The result is over-the-top efforts to get acquainted with the rich Chinese foreign luxury. French design house Lanvin has recently launched a show of opulence track, only organized his show in Paris Fashion Week, Giorgio Armani himself to Beijing for his One Night Only will parade and after party in the artistic neighborhood of the city.

The celebrations come against the backdrop of a decline of China, the growth in retail sales. Retail sales saw their overall lower growth rate in the last month from February 2011 to 13.8 percent per year over the period. Clothing sales rose 19 percent, well below its 12-month high of 27.6 percent in September 2011, sales rose by 18.2 percent year on year in May, jewelry, compared to a maximum of 12 months from 44.4 percent in August 2011.

The market research firm CLSA last week was a special report warning of slower growth, adjusting its forecast sales of jewelry, especially between 16 and 20 percent this year compared to last year, a jump of nearly 50 percent.

The slowdown in economic growth is part of the problem, as well as consumer confidence fragile, the tendency to buy the wealthy Chinese abroad, instead of paying taxes on the same luxury, expensive products at home.

A government anti-corruption-fed is also the brand, according to a study by CLSA quoted as much as 16 percent of sales of luxury above all, and 37 percent of the accessories and jewelry sales are classified as business-related gifts. "We believe that the recent slowdown in high-end consumers may be partly due to increased surveillance," the report said.

But in a country where an estimated U.S. $ 600 billionaires, 63 500 high net worth individuals $ 100 million or more, and 2.7 million millionaires, there's a hunger for luxury leather, diamonds and stilettos. Although purchases of personal jets and luxury yachts for a couple of bad weeks could be in the stock market, remain largely unchanged, the relatively small purchases.

Thus, the long-term optimism for luxury goods. "The absolute numbers continue to grow. There is a feeling that [the high-end consumer] has slowed, but it has not disappeared," said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher at Hurun Reports Inc., which compiles an annual list of the richest people in China. "People have to burn more money."