business EUROPEAN 6 Interview with Edouard Frojo, Managing Director of FROJO SOC Jewellery made of French passion Often, jewellery is the icing on the cake to your outfit. Today, the market is highly diversified, and you are spoilt for choice when looking for a new piece. In addition to your individual preferences, the budget is always an important selection criterion. FROJO SOC, based in Marseille, France, is a family-run jeweller following a stringent diversification concept. With different shops and brands, the company is well established in the luxury as well as in the medium and fashion sector. Managing Director Edouard Frojo will stay true to this diversification strategy in the coming years, too. Frojo is integrated into the Marseille based holding Seline. Offering jewellery and watches, the company operates four shops, two in Marseille and one each in Saint- Tropez and Val d’Isère. In addition to Frojo, the holding company unites four more companies. These are Ellines, Ardile, Ceced and Nesli. Ellines is a franchisee of Mauboussin with two shops and two corners. Ardile specializes in Rolex watches, which are sold exclusively at the company’s own shop in Marseille, while Ceced focuses on the design and production of the Chalet brand. Ceced distributes its products via partners. Nesli is a franchisee for the APM brand, specializing in premium fashion jewellery and silver pieces. The company distributes its products via its own shop and soon its two new corners. “Thanks to our diversification strategy, we have a foothold in several market sectors,” explains Mr. Frojo, who represents the fifth family generation. “This makes us more independent of fluctuations in the different fields. Depending on the respective company, we sell our own pieces together with external brands, or we focus exclusively on just one label, such as Ardile. Originally, we were rooted in Frojo. Here, we sell several major brands such as Rolex or Cartier. But we also create our own pieces of jewellery such as diamond rings or charms. All the pieces are first class.” The company’s franchise brand Mauboussin also targets the upper end of the market. Under the umbrella of Ceced, the company cooperates with an external designer, Magalie Pont. She creates the jewellery for Charlet, which is sold through several jewellers in France and the Frojo shops. “Charlet boasts traditional jewellery which has been re-invented and modern- Managing Director Edouard Frojo represents the fifth family generation The Frojo boutique in Marseille, France
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