TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXCUTIVE SUMMARY 2
1.0 INTRODUCTION 3
2.1 Economic Outcome of London 2012 4
2.2 Brazil- Getting Ready to Shine 4
2.3 Exploiting the Opportunity 4
2.3 Porters Five Force and PESTEL analysis 5
2.4 SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE BRAZILIAN LUXURY SECTOR 6
3.1 THE PLAN 7
3.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE PLAN 7
4.1 Justification Of The Plan 8
4.2 EXPERIENCE REALMS MODEL 9
4.2 THE BRAND IDENTITY PRISIM 11
5.1 PRICE AND PRODUCT 13
5.2 TIME FRAME AND LOCATIONS 14
5.3 IN-STORE EVENT 14
6.1 THE BUDGET 15
6.2 IMPLEMENTATION ISUUES 17
7.0 CONCLUSION 18
APPENDIX 1 19
APPENDIX 2 20
APPENDIX 3 21 APPENDIX 4 22
APPENDIX 5 23
APPENDIX 6 24 APPENDIX 7 25
APPENDIX 8 26
REFRENCE LIST 27
REFLECTIVE STATEMENT 28

EXCUTIVE SUMMARY
This report provides an analysis of the overall Brazilian economy and its luxury retail sector and discusses how Louis Vuitton can use the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympics to its advantage.
It considers the Brands values and ethos and the mind-set of the Brazilian consumer and charts out a profitable plan for the Brand to carry out during the days of the Olympics.
To aid the quality of the report secondary research has been carried out in the form of articles, Journals, academic books, annual reports as well as research carried out by established consulting and research firms.
The plan proposed to Louis Vuitton is based on consumer engagement and thus an in store event has been suggested along with the launch of a limited edition Speedy line. The plan will focus on the brands exclusive features of hot stamping and personalisation. The objectives of the plan are focused around strategically increasing footfall and sales as well as spreading awareness of the exclusive features available at Louis Vuitton
Academic models such as Kapferer’s brand identity prism and Pine and Gilmore’s experience realms model have been used to help enhance the structure of the plan as well as assess its feasibility.
The Actions and programs clearly state the tactics of the plan through details such as the price and the product, the locations and time frame and the features of the in store event.
An indicative budget has also been created to help understand the costs and its distribution that Louis Vuitton would have to bare. Also potential implementation issues that could hinder the success of the plan have been identified to ensure that the brand could take measures to avoid countering the same.

1.0 INTRODUCTION
One market that seems to be unevenly affected by the instability of today’s economy is the luxury industry. Here, some companies have been struggling, whereas others are doing remarkably well. One of these well-performing companies is LVMH, which among others holds Louis Vuitton in its stable. Louis Vuitton has not only been able to sustain the financial crisis but also managed to elevate its sales and profits through the past years.
Traditional and modern are seemingly the two contrasts that Louis Vuitton aspires to fuse. Traditional, due to its long lived success for one and a half century, and modern, due to its innovative and creative designs.
For brands to be to successful and on top of their game it is essential that they are constantly using new platforms and opportunities to their advantage. One such platform is the upcoming Brazil 2016 Olympics.
This report bears in mind the ethos and characteristics of the brand as well as the Brazilian economy and its luxury retail sector, and has formulated a profitable plan for Louis Vuitton to carry out and tap into the potential the Brazil 2016 Olympics has.

2.0 SITUATION ANALYSIS
2.1 Economic Outcome of London 2012

Guardian (2012) “An influx of foreign tourists. An orgy of consumer spending. A nationwide feel-good factor.” That was how the British government had envisioned the economic impact of the London 2012 games. However the feel-good factor had failed to bring in the hard cash and did not boost consumer spending resulting in a drop in retail sales.
2.2 Brazil- Getting Ready to Shine

The Olympic torch is now being passed on to Brazil for the year 2016. Playing host to one of the worlds major sporting events will put Brazil in the global limelight (Appendix 8), Spire (2012)“specially at a time when it is drawing admiration for its strong economic and sound micro economic management.” Brazil has to learn from the London 2012 and ensure mistakes are not repeated. In a report by Deloitte it was stated that Gregory, Kalish, and Robert (2012) “ A major event in a country / city has the potential to create a lasting legacy that provides the host with new levels of global recognition along with economic, political and social development” These events can also been seen as a coming-out party for countries who wish to reveal their new prominence as economic giants. Brazil certainly belongs to the club.
2.3 Exploiting the Opportunity

The growing middle class with rising real disposable incomes along with the upcoming sporting events are a great opportunity for the luxury segment to exploit. It is said that the estimated number of tourists that would be visiting Rio for the 2016 Olympics would increase drastically. Euro monitor (2012) “Brazil is expected to record much stronger growth in arrivals during the forecast period; 40% against 15% in absolute volume terms, and welcome a total of 8.1 million tourists by 2016.” It is imperative that Louis Vuitton seizes this opportunity of a large number of tourists in the country, where high sprits of the Olympics will be omnipresent, and uses it to the brand’s advantage.

FIGURE 1.1 McKensey (2012)

2.3 Porters five force and PESTEL analyses

The Porters five forces (Appendix 1) has outlined the rules of competition and analysed them through the five competitive forces. Brazil is seen to have high levels of threat of substitutes, industry competitors and buyer and supplier power. However its threat of new entrants is low due to high barriers to entry.
For Louis Vuitton to set the stage to develop specific tactics to mitigate the risks involved in executing their vision in an unfamiliar environment a PESTEL analysis has been carried out (Appendix 5) The analysis made clear the present macro environment of Brazil highlighting issues such as the county’s high GDP, rising middle class, its current tax laws and technological growth.

2.4 SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE BRAZILIAN LUXURY SECTOR

The five force model and the PESTEL analysis along with research on the impact of the Olympics on the overall economy: the following Strengths, Weaknesses; Opportunities and Threats of the Brazilian luxury retail sector have been identified.

STRENGTHS | WEAKNESS | THE MIDDLECLASS Monteiro, D. (2010) “the so-called middle class in Brazil represents more than half of the population ranking the country among the top 10 markets in the world for most of the segments.” This growing middle class has opened up a new consumer base for luxury brands.HNWI: McKinsey(2012) “estimates that about 3million Brazilians can afford luxury goods” luxury products are an important tool used by elite Brazilians to differentiate themselves socially.CONSPICIOUS CONSUMPTION: The Brazilian consumer has a very different mindset, which will benefit the luxury sector as it induces spending. McKinsey(2012) “Being seen to be rich is an important part of being rich | HIGHER PRICES: Luxury Society(2012)“In 2011’s “ease of doing business” ranking by the World Bank, Brazil came in at No. 126, nestled between Ghana and Lebanon. Red tape, stiff tariffs on imports and significant sales taxes push already-high prices of luxury goods, up to 75% higher”TARIFF BARIERS: Altagamma (2011) “In order to import foreign products, international brands must pay a large amount of taxes and licenses. Brazil does not intend to lower those costs for the moment. There is a very protective policy for the local businesses. The domestic brands, favored by the policy, are more easily and widely distributed, for which they are an absolute leader in the market”CREDIT SYSTEM: Business of Fashion (2012) “In Brazil you can buy everything on credit” This policy works for the consumers however is a weakness for the retailer whose profits are delayed, thus affecting cash flow. | OPPORTUNITY | THREATS | INCREASES IN MIDDLE CLASS: “By the year 2014 the middle class will account for 60% of the population” This is a huge opportunity for retailers are their consumer bases are exponentially growing.2016 & 2014 EVENTS: Euromonitor(2012) “Brazil is expected to record much stronger growth in arrivals during the forecast period.” Tourism will be on the rise during the days of the games. | SHOPPING ABROAD: Due to the high prices of luxury goods, a section of the luxury consumers make frequent trips abroad; this shift, if it becomes a trend among most consumers, could prove to be a threat according to Business of Fashion(2011) “Brazilians do shop abroad, particularly in Miami or New York” |

3.0 THE PLAN AND ITS OBJECTIVES
After a through analysis of the SWOT of the retail sector, its consumer attitude and retail segment. The following plan has been proposed for Louis Vuitton to carry out during the Rio 2016 Olympics.
3.1 THE PLAN
During the days of the Olympics, the Louis Vuitton store in Rio de Janerio and Sao Paulo will have an exclusive in-store event. This event will constitute two essential parts: 1. A space within the store will be dedicated to the Louis Vuitton artisans and craftsman. They will be carrying out the process of hot stamping and personalisation allowing its consumers to witness first hand these exclusive features of the brand.

2. During the period of the Olympics there will be an exclusive service of personalisation and hot stamping: * An exclusive Brazil 2016 Logo (Appendix 2) will be designed which could be hot stamped on certain products. * The classic Speedy range will also be available for personalisation; the consumers will be able to choose the colour of the design, and the size of the handbag, making it an interactive and exclusive feature. (Appendix 3&4)

3.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE PLAN
The successful implementation of the aforementioned plan will enable Louis Vuitton to meet the following objectives: 1. To strategically increase footfall during the Olympic period; 2. To increase awareness of the exclusive features and services available at Louis Vuitton; 3. To boost profits by maximising sales during the Rio 2016 Olympics

4.0 STRATEGIC APPROACH
4.1 Justification Of The Plan

Brazil is a country where much of its consumer spending in the luxury sector is dependent on customer service. Wyman (2006) “Delivering an experience that is satisfying to your customers and differentiated from your competition drives both repeat visits and improved store productivity.” Hence, offering the consumer an irresistible blend of high-end service alongside an exclusive and personalised in-store experience is sure to stir up sales and prove to be a successful strategy for Louis Vuitton during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
For over 150 years special orders have been a tradition at Louis Vuitton. This exclusive feature of ‘personalization’ that is synonymous with Louis Vuitton is one of the brand’s key strengths as well as a great opportunity to drive up sales. According to Interbrand (2008) “A large part of luxury consumers’ willingness to pay premium prices comes from their expectation that a brand will go out of its way to attend to their needs: customers must feel that they’re being treated as valued individuals when they’re consuming luxury goods.” Personalization is an apt medium to convey this. Effective methods of personalization are generally time and place bound. It not only makes consumers’ interaction with the brand more meaningful, but also provides them with a story that they can tell others – thus creating a positive memory, one that will etch itself in their minds.
Amalgamating both the aforesaid points of in-store experience as well as the brands exclusive feature of ‘personalisation,’ the strategy was formed in order to boost sales while keeping in sync with the Olympic sprit prevalent in the country.

4.2 EXPERIENCE REALMS MODEL
According to Pine& Gilmore (1998) “an experience may engage [consumers] on any number of dimensions.” In order to justify the feasibility of the campaign in terms of the overall in-store experience the ‘experience realms’ model has been applied.
FIGURE 2.1 Adapted from Pine and Gilmore (1998)

Pine& Gilmore (1998) “The first on the horizontal axis describes the level of guest participation” this could be passive or active. The Louis Vuitton consumer will have a partly passive and partly active role during the in-store event, where even though they would not directly influence or affect the activity that is being carried out, the consumers buying goods and opting for hot stamping and personalisation would personally affect the performance that yields the event. Pine& Gilmore (1998) “The second vertical dimension represents the connection or environmental relationship.” The consumer would be experiencing a combination of the two connection methods. The consumers would be partly absorbed, as they witness the craftsmen and artisans carrying out the processes of hot stamping and personalization to their mind. However, the consumer is also partly immersed in the experience, as they physically become a part of the experience when they choose the kind of personalization they want for the product they purchase.
When these dimensions are coupled the experiential realms are formed- entertainment, education, escape, and aestheticism. ENTERTAINMENT | Watching the exclusive procedures of hot stamping and personalisation could prove to be highly entertaining for the consumer as they observe the artisans and craftsman and passively absorb it. The entire process of choosing the logo and the colours for hot stamping and personalisation, would also lead to high entertainment levels being created within the retail space. | AESTHETIC | The option of hot stamping and personalisation given to the consumer purchasing certain products proves to be highly aesthetic allowing them to immerse themselves in the event by having the decision to choose their colour and logo, they have much control on the design of the product adding aesthetic value to it. | EDUCATIONAL | The plan proves to be highly educational in nature as the consumers actively participates, and informs themselves about the expertise going into the exclusive process. | ESCAPIST | The interactive nature of the plan, where customers could design their own “Brazil 2016” handbag helps the consumer escape into a world of exclusivity and actively participate in the immersive environment. |

The level of participation caused by each realm of the experiential modal has been charted out below.
FIGURE 2.2

The plan charted out embodies elements of all of the four realms of the experiential modal as it blurs the boundaries between the realms. By doing so the plan centres on the ‘sweet spot’ and converts the plain retail space into a distinctive one.
The experiential model used above has analysed the plan charted out for Louis Vuitton and identified the level of consumer engagement it would create along with the overall in-store experience that would be generated. To further determine the feasibly of the plan it is essential to analyse it in terms of whether it fits with the brands overall identity as this would be a key factor in assessing the potential success of the plan.

4.2 THE BRAND IDENTITY PRISIM

Each brand has an identity and it is vital that this brand identity links closely to the product and the overall service and experience the brand provides.
The brand identity prism decompiles the symbolic dimensions of the brand into six essential facets, which can be classified into tangible and intangible aspects.
FIGURE 2.3 Adapted from Kapferer (1997)

Kapferer (2009) “The summit of the identity prism is that which defines the constructed source,” this is the brand’s physical traits and its overall personality. The Physical Traits defines the family resemblance and the Brand Personality discusses the brands character traits, which are either inherited of constructed by the brand. PHYSICAL TRAITS | The plan takes into consideration the physique of the brand. The personalisation option given to the consumers of the classic speedy bag, and the option of hot stamping the exclusive “Brazil 2016” logo on certain products would enhance the physical aspect of the brand making it desirable.The in-store experience would allow the consumers to engage on a personal level with the brand’s physical traits and build their own individual connection with the brand. | BRAND PERSONALITY | The plan emphasises on the brand’s personality and offers services that would enhance it further. The Personalisation of the Speedy Bag along with the hot stamping option both add to the extrovert nature of the brand making the product even more eye-catching and noticeable. Hence, further appealing to its consumer base.The in-store experience would engage the customers with two processes which further reinforce the characteristics of the brand’s personality |

The next two facets of the brand identity prism are related to the constructed recipient. This does not describe its target through its communication - it proposes a representation of its idealised

Clientele. The Reflected Consumer is the external mirror and discusses the brand’s image’s effect on its consumer of the brand and Consumer Metallisation is the internal mirror and discusses how consumers construct themselves via the brand. REFLECTED CONSUMER | The plan has precisely been charted out keeping the Louis Vuitton consumer in mind. The personalised and hot stamped products that will be available will be much appreciated by the consumers; it would enhance the feeling of exclusivity as these products could be seen as being “exclusive to Brazil’ or ‘Brazil 2016 limited edition.’The in-store experience adds to the aforementioned point of exclusivity and witnessing it first hand. The overall experience would appeal to the archetypical Louis Vuitton consumer. | CONSUMER MENTALISATION | The plan understands this consumer mind-set. Thus, the exclusive range that would be available during the Olympics will evince noticeable signals about the individual and thus the consumer would construct their social stance with the aid of the product and the connotation it carries. |

The two intermediary facets of the brand identity prism are relationship and culture. It links the physical aspect of the brand and its personality with the consumer. The Culture helps the brand create a cult while the Relationship facet defines the relationship between the brand and its recipient. CULTURE | Louis Vuitton is known for having a strong culture and heritage attached to it. It is often called a brand that is a mixture of traditional and modern. And hence we can say that the personalisation feature uses its traditional speedy range and uses to create and offer to its consumer a modern product. | RELATIONSHIP | The Louis Vuitton consumer embodies the nature of the brand and portrays themselves as out standing and strong individuals. |

A unification of all of the six facets defines the brand’s identity, weaving the fabric of emotional connection with the client.
The plan has shown to be compatible with the brand’s six identity facets and could thus be seen as a feasible plan that should meet its objectives.

5.0 ACTIONS AND PROGRAMS
The strategic approach has described the broad approach to the plan and how the plan’s objectives will be met.
For the strategic approach to be successful it is imperative to chart out the short- to medium-term co-ordination of activities and the deployment of resources needed to reach the strategic goal.
This will be divided into three factors:
5.1 PRICE AND PRODUCT

1. HOT STAMPING
Hot stamping is a free service offered by Louis Vuitton and, in the case of the “Brazil 2016” logo, this would remain a free service. (Appendix 2)
The logo will be available for hot stamping in one of the sixteen colours from the Louis Vuitton palette. Alternatively, consumers could opt for the refined elegance of tone-on-tone marking. 2. PERSONALISATION
The personalization of the “Brazil 2016” handbag would be exclusively for the Speedy range. (Appendix 3,4)
Consumers would be given the option to choose the size of the bag and the colour of its logo. Being a limited edition range, the price of the handbag would be higher than that of the regular Speedy the prices below are an indication based on the current mono-monograming prices (Appendix 6)
FIGURE 3.1Indicative prices of the Speedy Range SIZE | PRICE | Speedy 25 | £ 605 | Speedy 30 | £ 625 | Speedy 35 | £ 645 | Speedy 40 | £ 665 |

5.2 TIME FRAME AND LOCATIONS

TIME FRAME 1. The 2016 Summer Olympics are to be held in Rio de Janeiro and will be starting on the August 6th, 2016. The Louis Vuitton in-store event and its Limited edition “Brazil 2016” services will be available only during the days of the Olympics.
LOCATIONS
2. BOF (2012) “Sao Paulo is the luxury hub in Brazil comprising 70% of the luxury Market.” Even though the games are not being held in Sao Paulo, it is a location that Louis Vuitton must tap into, especially with the recent opening of its First ‘Global Store’. This is further suggested keeping in mind that the spirit of the Olympics is expected to permeate the entirety of the country.

Rio de Janeiro is the city that will be host to a large number of tourists, as the official Brazil 2016 destination. Louis Vuitton possesses and utilises retail space in the city at present and is also set to launch its new store by the end of the month WWD (2012). The two locations where this Brazil 2016 Campaign will be held are:
FIGURE 3.2 Details of Locations

Rio de Janeiro | Sao Paulo | Rua Garcia D' vila, 114 - Ipanema
Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro 22421-010 | Rua Haddock Lobo, 1587 - Jardins
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 01414-003 |
5.3 IN-STORE EVENT 1. A space of 5 -10 sq. meters will be cordoned off and designated for the process of hot stamping and personalisation to be carried out for the customer to view. This has been suggested keeping in mind the large store size at both the locations. 2. The sales staff would be well trained and informed about the customisation process and the options available for the consumers. 3. The artisans and craftsman should be prepared to answer any questions that the consumers may ask them about the process.

6.0 BUDGETS AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES
6.1 THE BUDGET

As seen in the LVMH financial report, the first half of 2012 has been a profitable. The fashion and leather goods business has recorded an organic growth of 10% (Appendix 7) and “Louis Vuitton particularly continued to register exceptional performance, confirming the brand’s strong appeal to its global clientele.”(LVMH 2012)
FIGURE 3.3 2012 Financial facts LVMH NET INCOME 2012 | FASHION AND LEATHER GOODS PROFIT 2012 | € 2659 Million | € 1516 Million |

The proposed plan has kept in mind these financial figures of the brand, and identified the following costs that Louis Vuitton would have to bare. * SHIPPING COSTS- As orders for personalisation of the handbag could take up to a month or more depending on the number of orders the brand receives. Louis Vuitton would have to bare the costs of shipping the product to them once it is ready.

Due to limited number of resources available, exact shipping costs from Brazil are unavailable and thus, the Brand would have to contact its trusted shipping company that it has an account with.

* IN-STORE EVENT – The brand will also have to bare the costs of the Artisans and Craftsman coming to the store, especially if they are to be flown in from the Louis Vuitton Head Office.
The Artisans and Craftsman would have to be given extra wages depending on the store opening hours and the two weekends.

Below is a projection of the distribution of the budget among the various costs. Analysing the type of costs, indications have been made as to whether or not these can be controlled by the brand and what proportion of the budget should be designated to each cost.
FIGURE4.1Indicative budget

COST OF SHIPPING | The cost of shipping will be allotted the highest proportion of the budget, as this is directly proportionate to the number of units the brand sells. This can also vary depending on the destination the product needs to be shipped to.This cost cannot be controlled by the brand. | The remainder of the budget will be split between the other two costs. | COST OF IN-STORE EVENT | The cost of the in-store event can be controlled by the brand and thus it can be adjusted to fit within the designated budget. | COST OF PERSONALISATION | The cost of personalisation can also be controlled and made to fit within its allotted budget. This is not anticipated to be high, because the brand is well versed with this process and possesses the expertise to skilfully and profitably carry out the same. |

6.2 IMPLEMENTATION ISUUES

During the period of the plan certain issues could come up and affect the overall smooth running of the campaign.
Some of which have been identified to be: * OVERCROWDING: Luxury brands have always been known to be exclusive and often strive to not become over accessible. There is a possibility that the in-store event would attract a large number of consumers and this could make the store overcrowded and reduce its exclusivity factor. * INSTANT DELIVERY: Many tourists visiting the country would like to shop and take back with them the goods purchased, as a memory from their holiday. The Brand’s inability to be able to deliver the limited edition products on time could lead to consumers becoming hesitant in certain cases. * WAITING PERIOD: As the campaign strives to focus on the exclusivity feature of the brand. Consumers would spend a large amount of time discussing with the sales staff the details of the personalisation. This could lead to a high waiting time during periods of high footfall and consequently affect customer service.

7.0 CONCLUSION
In conclusion the results from the findings have made clear the Brazilian situation and its strengths and weaknesses as a retail environment.
The academic frameworks used have analysed the plan to be in sync with the brands identity as well a one that is able to generate a highly engaging experience
Budgetary analysis has identified the plan to fit within the means of the brand. And the identifying of issues has made few of the potential limitations of the plan clear.
The objectives stated at the start of the report can be seen, as achievable by the end of the analysis Thus Louis Vuitton should carefully consider all of the aspects of the brand to make an informed decision about the execution of the plan proposed.

APPENDIX 1
PORTERS FIVE-FORCE ANALYSIS
The rules of competition are embodied, in the five competitive forces charted out by Michel Porter.
To be able to understand the nature of Brazils retail landscape and identify potential strengths and threats to retailer the five-force analysis has been carried out.
Porter (1980) “The collective strength of these five forces, determines the ability of firms in an industry to earn, on average rates of return on investment in excess of the cost of capital”

THREAT OF ENTRY | The threat of entry into the Brazilian retail sector is Low due to HIGH barriers to entry, these are * High import duties that make the goods much more expensive than they would be in other parts of the world * Distribution channels are high as Brazil does not only have stand-alone stores but also have a large number of malls and department stores. * The Brazilian consumer could be seen as relatively conservative as they are extremely loyal to their local brands and absolutely trust them. Some even more than international brands | THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES | The threat to substitutes will be high and the consumer does seem likely to switch to alternatives. * The Brazilian consumer is becoming increasingly conscious of ethical trade and thus are likely to switch to retailers following ethical practices * The high duties make the goods much more expensive and this could result in the consumer being even more loyal to their local brands | BUYER POWER | The buyer power is the power of the consumer and this could be seen as High due to * The multiple number or domestic retailers * In terms of consumers buying into international brands the buyer power could be seen as low as there are not so many of them yet in the country. | SUPPLIER POWER | Supplier power is different for domestic and international brands * International brands it is HIGH due to the limited number of these in the country * For domestic brands this is low has there are a large number of these in the country. * The bargaining power is going to decrease soon for all retailers by 2016 due to the influx of foreign brands investing in the country. | INDUSTRY COMPETITORS | The industry competitiveness can be seen as high as Brazil has a large consumer base and relatively high number of retailers both domestic and international to cater to them.The high import prices have resulted in tougher competition among international brands to survive in the country. |

APPENDIX 2 * The process of hot stamping has been a part of the Louis Vuitton legacy. * For the speedy range it is generally done on the spot outlined in the image below.

* For small leather goods it is carried out like shown In the image below

For the Brazil 2012 Olympics it is suggested that Louis Vuitton design their own exclusive logo for the Olympics inspired from various logos suggested below and one that similar to but not identical to the official 2016 logo as this would cause copyright issues for the brand.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT LOUIS VUITTON DESIGN THEIR OWN EXCLUSIVE 2016 LOGO AND USE THE ONES BELOW SIMPLY AS INSPIRATION

APPENDIX 3

EXAMPLES OF PAST LOUIS VUITTON LIMITED EDITION COLLECTIONS

| | | | | |

APPENDIX 4
AVALIBLE SIZES AND COLOUR OPTIONS FOR THE SPEEDY RANGE

COLOURS AVALIBLE FOR PERSONALISATION | DAMIER AZUR CANVAS | DAMIER EBENE CANVAS | MONOGRAM CANVAS | | | |

APPEENDIX 5
PESTEL ANALYSIS OF BRAZIL
ECONOMIC:
1) Pwc (2007) “Brazil is the 5th largest economy in the world with a GDP of 796 billion USD in 2005 and a population of 181 million. This level of GDP was achieved despite significant parts of the population being at very low income levels and thus falling outside the consumer bracket for most of the relevant markets.” 2) Central bank of Brazil (2007) “Retail and consumer, and particularly the Food & Beverage segment, was the most attractive sector for FDI in Brazil in 2005, with more than USD5 billion invested” 3) Fesa (2010) “Brazil has overtaken the United States and Europe as an investment target and is already the third favorite destination among multinationals planning to invest through 2012.”
POLITICAL:
1. Pwc (2007) “The Brazilian tax system is highly regulated and extremely complex. Different taxes/rates on the federal, states or municipalities levels have become a key theme in all sectors and for most companies that operate in Brazil.”
SOCIAL
1. Pwc (2007) According to research conducted by Instituto Target/FGV, in the next 5 years the Brazilian middle class is expected to grow its share in the consumer market by 5.6 points, from 60.8-66.4% of the total consumption. 2. Monteiro, D. (2010) “the so-called middle class in Brazil represents more than half of the population ranking the country among the top 10 markets in the world for most of the segments. Irrespective of supplying lower income or luxury brands, global companies must have a foot in Brazil either through acquisitions (much still to be consolidated in the sector) or start-ups.”
TECHNOLOGICAL
1. Traffic to Social Networking sites grew 51% in the past year, with sites in the category currently reaching more than 36 million visitors age 15 and older.

ENVIRONMENTAL 1. Brazil has a 8000km coastline surrounding it. 2. Brazil borders 10 countries.
LEAGAL
1. The Brazilian tax system is also a matter of complexity. Brazil comprises numerous federal, state and municipal taxes. The law does not distinguish between domestic and foreign owned companies. 2. Corporate income tax: at the rate of 15% plus a surcharge of 10% on annual taxable income in excess of BRL 240,000.

APPENDIX 6

The price of the Speedy range has been indicated based on its current mono-monogramming prices. These were derived from the official Louis Vuitton online store.

| | | |

APPENDIX 7

APPENDIX 8

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REFLECTIVE STATEMENT
As the last year came to an end we were all expected to make a decision about out final year, opting either for a year in industry or carrying on into the third year. We were at that junction where our future career paths were to be carefully considered implying that our professional lives were just a few steps away. I made a choice of continuing into my third year but decided to spend my summer months interning. This has proven to be a truly enhancing experience not only personally but on a professional level as well. This experience had helped me re consider certain pre conceived notions and made me realise who I was and more importantly what I wanted to be. By the end of my internship I came out as a much more confidant individual with focused goals and aspirations.
I walked into college on the first day of my third year with an extremely focused mind and knew that the outcome of my performance this year would have a successive effect on the rest of my life. It is this realisation that has caused a large amount of anxiety and tension, which has been augmented by the time constraints of the first term.
The future of fashion is the first deadline we have to meet and has thus been in the forefront of my mind for the past few weeks resulting in my dissertation and case study exams taking a back seat.
My chosen topic area was cultivated from the first luxury strategies lecture I attended. It was focused around the global luxury market and I was thoroughly engrossed in the lecture from the first minute and by the end of it I knew it was this theme I wanted to explore, I was still uncertain about the second theme I wanted to work on, however by the end of the first of week I had made my mind up on retail experiences and extensions as this was something I would be learning for the first time and I gained interest in the topic quite soon.
Initially I was uncertain about the choices I had made and wondered if I had made my task unnecessarily more difficult keeping in mind the challenging nature of both the areas of study.
I had never thoroughly researched the luxury market or had any previous work experience in the field, and therefore my knowledge was limited as to how much I knew initially. However my day-to-day interests of scoring the web and researching into luxury brand websites helped me narrow down my brand to Louis Vuitton.
I feel like I have undertaken a large amount substantial research to enhance the quality of my research and more so to understand the Brazilian retail sector and consumer, as this was a market I had absolutely No previous knowledge about. I found a lot of research on the overall impact of the Olympics on the country it was difficult to find retail specific research.
I had chosen not to relate this report to dissertation although I do feel this would have been helpful but do so at that initial stage just seemed a lot more complicated. However researching for this unit has helped me identify many sources that I could use for my dissertation.
These few weeks working on the report has taught me that there is no time to waste on discussing the various pressures this year as every moment wasted is getting us “closer to the wrong place faster.”
I am very determined to get a high grade this year and also bizarrely excited to start my last piece of academic work. The past sixteen years of education have comprised of failures and triumphs al of which I believe was training for this final hurdle and I wish to push myself and use all my potential in delivering my best.
This report has been the stepping-stone to the rest of the year. I was unsure, unsteady stumbling at times but now I am on my feet and believe that nothing is as hard as it seems all you need to do is focus.