Rupert has come under fire from a Swiss newspaper for getting an early vaccine from a clinic in which one of his companies has a financial interest.

Richemont’s chairman said the China-focused, global partnership with Farfetch and Alibaba will help smaller luxury players “fight giants like Amazon,” and give fashion and accessories brands greater access to a market with explosive growth.

The parent of Cartier and IWC had planned to reward shareholders for sticking with the company during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May, Johann Rupert said he wanted to compensate shareholders after slashing last year’s dividend, and thank them for sticking with the company through COVID-19, and beyond.

In its newly published Sustainability Report 2020, the parent of Cartier has laid out short-, medium- and long-term environmental goals, and is looking to strengthen its relationship with staff and suppliers.

High-end watch sales may be down, but they’re not out, thanks to flush local customers and brands’ wholehearted embrace of e-commerce.

“We are lucky in that we prepared for an economic downturn,” said Johann Rupert, Richemont’s chairman and founder. “COVID-19 merely sped up what was probably going to happen in any case: Economic reality settling in.”

Group sales for the year rose 2 percent, with the long-term outlook positive for hard luxury.

The designer is said to be readying her own collection with an eco angle.

Having just inked a deal with Richemont, Alber Elbaz is looking at fashion, luxury and the act of making and dressing in a new light.

According to well-placed sources, Vallat is returning to his former company Rémy Martin.

In fiscal 2018-19 Cartier’s parent Richemont reported a 27 percent uptick in sales and a 128 percent rise in profit, due chiefly to a one-off accounting gain.

Sales climbed 22 percent to 5.67 billion euros, with Yoox Net-a-porter, Watchfinder now in the mix.

The big groups are buying factories, courting artisans and pumping up their accessories offers.

The Asia Pacific region delivered double-digit growth in the 12 months.