INDUSTRY EXHIBITIONS
Swatch pulls out of annual Baselworld watch and jewellery trade fair
The Swiss watchmaker was the most important exhibitor at show, which traces its history to 1917
Geneva — Swiss watchmaker Swatch is quitting the annual Baselworld watch and jewellery trade fair, the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday, calling time on an event that has been a fixture of the luxury industry calendar for a century. Omega maker Swatch is the most important exhibitor at Baselworld, which traces its history to 1917, but more and more brands are deserting the fair held every March, blaming high costs and insufficient returns. "The Swatch Group has decided not to be present at Baselworld from 2019," the newspaper quoted Swatch CEO Nick Hayek as saying. The portfolio of Swatch, based in Biel in western Switzerland, spans the expensive Breguet, more affordable Longines and plastic Swatch timepieces. Some of Swatch’s high-end competitors have left Basel for a rival fair in Geneva, but Hayek said traditional annual watch fairs were no longer useful in a more transparent and fast-paced world. Major exhibitors such as Swatch budgeted about $50m for each Baselworld,...
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