RAPAPORT... Pandora agreed to acquire its licensed store network in Belgium and Luxembourg from distributor Gielen Trading as the company aims to take greater control of its brand.
The Copenhagen-based jeweler will pay Gielen Trading $14.6
million (EUR 14 million) for the stores, of which $2.1 million (EUR 2 million)
is related to inventory. The deal will come into effect on June 30 when Pandora
will take control of the stores and Gielen Trading’s
distribution rights expire. 
“Gaining control of the
distribution of Pandora jewelry in already established markets is an integrated
part of our strategy to increase control of our brand,” said David Allen,
Pandora’s president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company aims to
“establish Pandora as the most loved jewelry brand in these countries,” he added.
The deal will add 13 concept stores and three shop-in-shops to
Pandora’s roster of retail locations in
Belgium and Luxembourg. The stores Pandora is acquiring and its existing
wholesale network in the two countries generated revenue of about $21.9 million
(EUR 21 million) in 2015, the company said.
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