Q&A: Walpole CEO Helen Brocklebank on COVID-19, Tourism and the Future of British Luxury
Jing Daily chats with Walpole CEO Helen Brocklebank about the current state of British luxury and where it could be headed in the months ahead.
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- Jing Daily (JD): A topic with major implications for the U.K. and globally is obviously COVID-19, but several things compounded for the British luxury industry over the past year, such as Brexit and
- the scrapping
- of the tax-free refund scheme. Can you give us a level-set of where things are at for Walpole and your members right now?
- Helen Brocklebank (HB):
- JD:
- Chinese tourists are a key driver for the U.K. luxury market, and obviously brands and retailers have faced the challenge of not having that buyer base over the last year. At the moment, how is the China market in general for British luxury?
- HB:
- JD:
- I'm curious how this has impacted the work that you are doing at Walpole, and what you're encouraging your members to do to try to revitalize the luxury market in the U.K. How has it shifted your strategic mindset, both for brands and your organization?
- HB
- JD: Obviously the digital move has been out of necessity as much as anything, but do you feel like you're going to keep that going even after all this is over? Do you feel this is maybe here to stay in terms of being a more digital organization?
- HB
- JD:
- I want to ask you a little bit about Gen Z and millennials. More luxury brands and retailers have been using things like livestreaming and high-quality brand films, or brand-funded content like television shows or films to spread their message. Is that something that you've been looking at or your members have been talking about? How do you really feel about getting that younger customer excited about British luxury?
- HB
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