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Article: Industry skeptical about De Beers downstream.
- Article from:
- Israel Diamonds
- Article date:
- April 1, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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De Beers emphasizes that its retail joint venture with LVMH will be divorced from its core rough diamond business. The stores will be just other players on an even field, it says. In the meantime, the industry is not so sure.
For years, the diamond jewelry market has feared that De Beers would open up retail stores. And then, in London this January, Nicky Oppenheimer stood there and announced that within the next 18 months, De Beers--by that or another name--boutiques will open in major cities.
The stores are a joint venture with Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the ritzy French conglomerate whose stable of luxury brands includes Christian Dior and ...