Ducas oversees the design of all the collections, while Ayton handles the business operations along with Links’ new managing director Links of London Charms, Gareth Morris, former managing director of the English men’s wear retailer Hackett.
Links has about 1,100 products and changes about 25 percent of the assortment a year. The Madison Avenue store is projected to have first-year sales of $1.5 million to $2.3 million Links of London Bracelets.
“What we do is young but it meets an awful lot of people’s needs,” Ducas said, noting Links’ core customer is from 30 to 45. “We don’t do cutting-edge, trendy jewelry, which usually has to be inexpensive because its style doesn’t last very long. We are affordable and contemporary classic.”
One of Links’ designers will transfer from the UK to New York, where he will work in the store for the next two years sweetie Bracelet.
“That shows how important we believe the U.S. is,” Ducas said. “We need someone on the ground who understands what the customer wants. There is another 1,000 square feet downstairs that we will turn into an area for business gifts and for doing one-ofs for customers. We think there will be a big demand for that in New York.”
Links has 11 stores in the UK — including seven in London — as well as two units in Hong Kong and a store each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. A store in Singaporeopened in late July, to be followed by a store in Hamburg, Germany, in September links of london sale.
The company also wholesales to such department stores as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Isetan in Tokyo, Selfridges and Harrods in London, Brown Thomas in Dublin, Bon Marche in Paris and Holt Renfrew in Toronto. It believes the New York store will help boost its wholesale business in the United States.