Seiko UK is geared for growth

While nobody would refer to a watch as a Seiko unless it was one, the brand has become so well known on the high street that people perhaps have stopped looking at it. This is something that the Japanese watch company has realised and over the past few years we have witnessed it try to grab headlines with ego-driven projects such as timepieces that break technological barriers, such as the Seiko GPS Astron, which when revealed at BaselWorld in March was the first world timer controlled by GPS, and seriously expensive wristwatches from upmarket arm Credor that sit firmly in the luxury echelons with prices hitting nearly ￡250,000 for a minute repeater.

But back on the British high street, it has never been the most technologically advanced or expensive models that have fired up the shopping public.We Specialize In Selling royaloak, Instead it is the lower end of Seiko’s ranges – the watches that sit in the ￡150 to ￡400 bracket – that have steadily ticked over, if not whipped up a frenzy.

This is a sector of Seiko’s offer that Seiko UK director of sales and marketing Dave Harnby believes has been neglected of late; something he views as dangerous as it is the category he believes has the most potential.

“Last year we added a lot of starter-price product and now we are fulfilling what the Seiko consumer is looking for,” he says. “We have repositioned the price band and the heart of what Seiko is all about is now fully supported with product.”

Harnby says that it is a group-wide initiative to focus more heavily on core product and less on watches that he describes as “too technologically scary”. By focusing on lower prices it also encourages younger shoppers to embrace the brand, something that Seiko’s aging demographic has needed to ensure its success in the future. “It’s a global initiative,” reveals Harnby. “We have a strong reputation for elite products, and we’re still developing nicely, but we want a younger slant.Chanel salereplicashoes For Sale.”

“We do not want to dismiss our loyal fan base but we have to get as much market share as it deserves with this product range,” adds Seiko UK group marketing manager Kirsten Crisford.

So things are set to change. While the price category is right, according to Harnby, the watches within it don’t need to be basic and the company is testing the water with some watches that, for it, are fairly edgy.

Ceramic watches have been eating up market share for the past few years and Seiko has been slow in to getting to the party, only releasing its first batch of watches with ceramic last year, but it is a growing sector for the company and an area that it intends to develop. Its white ceramic ladies watches have proved to be particularly popular, both with female staff, who can all be seen wearing them during WatchPro’s tour of its UK headquarters in Maidenhead, and with consumers on the high street.

While it is white ceramic watches are grabbing the attention of female staff at Seiko, the male contingency in the office all seem to have opted for something a little brighter – a Seiko Sportura that has been brought to life with splashes of neon green (it just so happens that Daniel Malins of WatchPro was also wearing one on the day of the visit). This again is something new for Seiko,A tagheuerreplicafederal appeals court on Thursday upheld the conviction of Karen Sypher,Madden Girl Black Patent Mary Jane Court christianlouboutinshoe. the use of colour. The Sportura range, which is the official watch of the FC Barcelona football team, is a popular watch at Seiko and the new versions of this model featuring bright colour splashes further strengthen this line.