MILAN — Betting on booming luxury shopping off the slopes amid a pandemic is daring yet multibrand store Franz Kraler is anticipating a great holiday season.
The retailer — which operates seven stores across Cortina d’Ampezzo, Dobbiaco and Bolzano, all famous ski resorts nestled in the Dolomites — has been operating for 35 years and isn’t showing signs of aging.
As a testament to its staying power, Gucci conscripted Franz Kraler to unveil the brand’s first freestanding boutique in Cortina d’Ampezzo, which opened Dec. 1 carrying items from the The North Face x Gucci tie-up, highlighted by a dedicated mountaineering set-up with white walls, silver curtains and fluffy, snow-like carpeting.
The collaboration is the latest luxury partnership for the retailer in the area. Louis Vuitton and Dior both tapped Franz Kraler to open their permanent boutiques in the tony ski resort, in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
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“We’re very proud for being selected as go-to partners by these established maisons, it’s a proof our strategy so far has been rewarding,” said Daniela Kraler, who runs the company with her husband Franz and their son Alexander.
She noted that in addition to providing guidance to brands wanting to make their retail debuts in locations they know so well, the retailer is also respectful of their guidelines, becoming an ally.
Engaging customers is certainly key for the retailer, which has been attracting high-spending clients from worldwide and to this end it is embracing a multipronged strategy to maintain momentum.
Coinciding with the retail launch of Valentino’s resort 2022 collection, named The Party, for which the Roman couture house has planned a strong marketing push, the Franz Kraler store in Cortina will host daily cocktail parties from Dec. 4 to 8 with a dedicated corner and branded set-ups.
“All we’re doing is motivated by our commitment to press on, even amid the pandemic,” said Kraler. “That’s why very often luxury brands tap us as partners for collections’ launches and special projects without us pressuring them to do so,” she noted, mentioning past linkups with Celine, Fendi and Saint Laurent, among others.
With 2021 sales expected to exceed 50 million euros and a 30 percent year-on-year increase, Kraler touted the renaissance of the Dolomites region, a top-of-mind ski resort destination in her view, and forecast even brisker luxury consumption come 2026 and the Winter Olympics to be held between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Kraler’s clients hail from the German-speaking countries and Eastern Europe, as well as Russia, the Middle East and the Americas. “The area keeps attracting quality and high-spending tourists, and that’s even improving,” Kraler said.
A latecomer in e-commerce, due to initial hesitancy, Franz Kraler eventually launched its e-shop last August, after positively testing for a few years an on-demand service of remote shopping.
“We have been working in fashion since forever and channeled our efforts in the ‘brick-and-mortar cathedrals,’ as we built our brand from scratch,” said Kraler. “Witnessing so many natural disasters in the region, in addition to the pandemic, forced us to rethink the way we stay in touch with our clientele,” she said, explaining the reasoning behind the launch of the digital shop.
She credited her son, who is in his thirties, with spearheading the project and securing the best tech partners.
The online store currently boasts a wide selection of brands and products, which only partially reflect the brick-and-mortar assortment, given the many exclusive drops in limited quantities Franz Kraler secures and which cannot be easily translated online.
“It’s been praised and it’s starting to prove successful also business-wise,” Kraler contended, noting Italy, Austria and particularly Germany are the e-shop’s main markets. To mark its launch, the company unveiled a dedicated fashion film directed by Arturo Delle Donne titled “Call to the Wild,” which recently won Manchester’s prestigious U.K. Fashion Film award competing with the likes of Gucci and Bulgari.