Tous launches a new brand strategy and expects to exceed 400 million this year

"We have just celebrated our centenary, but to resist another hundred years we need to transform and adaptto the market." With this phrase, Alba Tous, president of the Tous jewelry group, summarizes the objective of the new brand strategy that the family company is launching globally today, and which will involve the progressive remodeling of its entire network of stores and the debut of a new logo, black and more robust and forceful, to increase its visibility. The changes, very much aimed at appealing to a younger audience, will also affect the new jewelry collections and its iconic bear, which will cease to be flat to adopt a three-dimensional silhouette."We are at a historic moment for Tous", emphasizes the vice president of the Manresa (Barcelona) based group, Rosa Tous.The challenge for Tous is to have 25% of its more than 700 boutiques remodeled within one year.Besides implementing the new logo ---the current one was designed in the 90s---, the stores will adopt a much more minimalist image that allows the jewelry to be displayed better, and they will be encouraged to have "a more experiential character." With the new concept of points of sale, "a new way of interacting with customers" will also be explored. Stores like the one on Serrano street in Madrid are already in the process of transformation."The evolution of the Tous brand", as the company defines this project ---on which it has been working for two years--- coincides with a favorable year for the company, which expects to exceed 400 million euros in turnoverdespite having ceased its direct activity in Russia, a country where they had launched a powerful expansion plan. "Today we have not noticed a slowdown in consumption, we are doing better than last year, Mexico, for example, is doing very well," assures Alba Tous.

The group's CEO, Carlos Soler-Duffo, confirms her words: "We are doing well, we are satisfied and we are confident that we can meet the objective of exceeding 400 million in turnover, we hope it will be so." The 2021 financial year was already very positive for Tous, as the losses of 2020 were left behind, with a net profit of 22.3 million and an EBITDA of 80.7 million. The rapid recovery of the global jewelry market boosted the chain's sales by 37%, reaching 384 million.

According to Soler-Duffo, for now, Tous has not raised prices to face the inflationary context, but states that it is a decision "that cannot be ruled out" depending on how the market evolves. Nor have plans for new openings been halted. "For the moment, we are holding on," says the president. The CEO emphasizes that at a time of rising costs, the "efficiencies" that the group brought to light thanks to the launch of Tous Next, an operational and logistics transformation plan that was activated before the pandemic, are very important. Among the actions carried out, the remodeling of the corporate headquarters in Manresa and changes in the logistics chain stand out. The growth of online sales is another lever to take into account, since in 2021 they generated 20% of the business.

Tous will announce this Thursday, September 15, the changes introduced in its brand and its visual codes with the launch of a global campaign that in Barcelona can be seen, for example, with the premiere of a large canvas that will cover the facade of the old El Corte Inglés building in Plaza Francesc Macià, now under construction.

"With this evolution of the brand, we seek to anticipate what society asks of us; is a brave exercise in transformation, we had to dare, with an eye on the future," explains Soler-Duffo, who is preparing for next year the launch of a new strategic plan for the firm, present in 46 countries. One of the elements included in the transformation of the Tous brand is the definition of a "new corporate purpose", a slogan in English with which the company summarizes the meaning of its business and which it will use globally:We craft a world of joy"The Tous world, rather than explaining it, it's better to feel it," reflects Rosa Tous, who explains that with this motto they want to convey concepts such as the commitment to help people feel better (we);the more than one hundred years of trade (craft); internationalization and commitment to sustainability (world) and "joy, excitement and passion" (joy) that they put in their collections. For Tous' new brand director, Anna Sió,the changes introduced in the brand image "are an evolution, not a revolution", as "the legacy" is preserved and "there is no break with the past." "We want to live 100 more years, so we want to reach a younger audience, but without forgetting adult customers," says Sió, who highlights Tous' brand attributes as "being brave, bold, creative, young, and with a sense of humor."

Anna Sió: "We want to live 100 more years, so we want to reach a younger audience, but without forgetting adult customers"

"The bear does not disappear!, it stays with us---warns the executive---, but now we will have it in 3D and with more color; it will be a source of creativity." In this sense, this transformation does not only affect brand communication, but also the design of new jewelry and accessory collections. We reaffirm our commitment to launching jewelry for everyday wear that allows our clients to express themselves through fashion." Prior to joining Tous, Sió had developed her career at Nike, Reebok, and Carolina Herrera.

The new advertisements and audiovisual content for the campaign ¿Tous? Tous, prepared together with the Lola Mullenlowe agency, feature very young models and seek to enter, according to Sió, "the territory of fashion," with a strong commitment to "showing the styling of the jewelry and the increase in the color palette."

Alba, Rosa, Marta, and Laura Tous, the four daughters of Rosa Oriol and Salvador Tous ---promoters of the great expansion of the Catalan jewelry firm---, today lead the company, whose capital remains in the hands of the family by 75%. The other 25% has belonged to the Swiss fund Partners Group since 2015. The firm denies that there is currently an open negotiation process to exit the fund.