Hermès reopens its store in Lugano, Switzerland

The brand invited more than 150 guests to Villa Ciani, a historic neoclassical house built by the Ciani brothers between 1840 and 1843 and nestled in a vast 63,000-square-metre park overlooking the lake, to enjoy the cultural and gastronomic riches of Ticino.

This was an opportunity for the new Swiss market director, Eric Festy, who has been in charge since January 2025, to meet local customers and members of the press. Previously director of the South Asia zone, based in Singapore, he now manages the Swiss and Polish markets from Geneva.

This reopening, after more than six months of renovation work, allows the brand to better showcase the sixteen métiers that make up its universe, from home furnishings and saddlery to men's and women's ready-to-wear, shoes and perfumes. But it is the world of leather goods (the company's leading business, which at the end of September 2025 had a total worldwide turnover of € 5.2 billion, up 12.6% at constant rates) that is gaining in importance, with 50m² now dedicated to this sector. The space, gained from the Moncler boutique that used to be next to the Hermès store and has now moved to another address, also offers a private boudoir room. The store covers a total of 300 m², on two levels, and has therefore been enlarged by 100 m² (50 m² per level).

Although Lugano's financial centre was hit hard by the end of banking secrecy, with the implementation of automatic information exchange in January 2017, the region has gradually recovered from this loss of revenue by turning to other models such as wealth management and sustainable finance. An article on the Via Nassa Lugano platform, dating from 2022, indicates that the number of millionaires in Lugano is around 5,000 and growing (Source: Henley & Partners).

Shopping enthusiasts in Lugano (mainly local customers, Swiss Germans, then Germans and Italians) have long been accustomed to shopping at Hermès. The brand was first offered to Ticino consumers in the 1960s, not in a space exclusively reserved for Hermès, but in the heart of the historic Fumagalli multi-brand store. This well-known Ticino brand then took over the Hermès concession until 2006. Since then, the current store (the walls are still owned by Fumagalli) has been under the direct management of Hermès (13 employees) and run for the past nineteen years by Mara Ghezzi.

The reopening of the store signals Hermès' confidence in the region's business prospects. Switzerland now has eight Hermès stores.