2010 ANNUAL REPORT OVERVIEW OF THE gROUP - 3rd quarter ...

THE PALACE
OF
A THOuSAND
AND
ONE LIVES
The doors open to reveal a palace: a palace of dreams.
In delighted expectation, we wonder what surprises await us here.
Many of the clients are regulars. Faithful friends. A sales assistant meets their gaze,
smiles, accompanies them. They are not alone or anonymous. Sometimes, they are
on first-name terms. In a way, they are at home here. “When they let us know they are
coming” says Camille Parenty, director of the George V store, “we prepare for their
visit.” Their tastes and expectations are identified, recognised. “It is our job to anticipate,
predict, and understand their experience,” says Camille. To suggest and interpret,
but never to insist: their experience must be as light as a silken thread. Each
store has its own identity, its own interior decoration, its own way of expressing itself.
The pieces found there are chosen freely by the store director, who creates his or her
world, composing it like a painting to reflect the desires of the clientele. Each setting
is unique. In Paris, the Faubourg is legendary and the George V intimate, while Hermès
Rive Gauche has a nomadic, contemporary feel. Each has its own personality,
writing its story in warm, soft tones, from one generation to the next. The sparkling
eyes of a young woman knotting her silk scarf for the first time reveal that it will be
a lifelong companion. A young woman holds a Lindy or Kelly bag as if holding hands
with her Prince Charming. It is this personal relationship with objects that makes a
Hermès store unique.