The growth strategies of independent luxury companies

Abstract

Today, the luxury industry mostly can be seen as made of few players, also being referred to as conglomerates. When companies grow within the luxury market, they usually belong to or are acquired by large conglomerates such as LVMH, Kering or Richemont. However, we do not know how independent luxury companies can grow in this competitive environment. To fill this gap, this thesis answers the following research question: how can independent luxury
companies grow? I conducted a comparative case study on three brands. The results show that independent companies pursue different strategies for growth within the market, resulting from the fact that the companies use effects that are unique to their identity as an independent company; such as purpose, agility, and authenticity. In addition, the brand identity is deeply rooted within the corporate structure, and outsiders, such as shareholders, do not need to be primarily satisfied.

Date of Award	26 Jan 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Laure Leglise (Supervisor)