Our history
1948
Where it all began
Peter Goemans opens a perfume store in Cannes, on the French Riviera, the first Bluebell boutique. Shortly after, he begins selling European luxury goods in Asia, which led to the foundation of Bluebell Group in 1954.
1954
Bluebell imports the first luxury European goods to Japan
First boutique in Japan opens, sharing beautiful, inspiring and luxurious European goods with Japanese consumers.
1959
Lanvin expands to Asia
Lanvin partners with Bluebell to bring their signature fragrances to Asia. Since the mid-1920s Lanvin perfumes had been the go-to scents for Europe's luxury consumers, and the French brand was one of the first to see potential in Asia.
1960
Seoul office opens
Korea office opens in Seoul to support Brand Partners with further growth opportunities.
1963
Jean Patou partners with Bluebell
Jean Patou partners with Bluebell to establish the renowned brand in Asia.
1967
Michel Goemans, founder's son, takes the helm
With his wife Catherine, they pioneer the concept of premium fashion boutiques in Asia, building networks in HK, Singapore and Guam. In the decades to follow, these stores become the launch platforms for many now- legendary fashion labels.
1967
Igniting a lifestyle
Dupont lighters partner with Bluebell in Asia, adding a new category of products catering to luxury connoisseurs in the region.
1967
Hong Kong and Singapore offices open
Hong Kong and Singapore offices open to support Brand Partners with further growth opportunities.
1970
Louis Vuitton partners with Bluebell to conquer Asia
Louis Vuitton partners with Bluebell to launch the brand across Asia, at the time a pioneering move to be one of the first luxury brands directly present in the region.
1974
Davidoff lands at The Peninsula
Davidoff Lounge opens at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. The brand’s first store in Asia, the pioneering partnership with Davidoff introduced cigar culture into Asia. In 2016 the partnership became a joint venture.
1975
Kuala Lumpur office opens, strengthening opportunities across SEA
Malaysia office opens in Kuala Lumpur to support Brand Partners in Southeast Asia with further growth opportunities.
1982
Milan office opens
Milan representative office opens, supporting on coordination with Italian and other European based luxury, premium and lifestyle brands with high potential in Asian markets.
1983
Bluebell sets up shop in Taipei
Taipei office opens to support Brand Partners with further growth opportunities.
1989
Moschino hits the Asian markets
Moschino partners with Bluebell to launch the brand across Asia and setup a regional distribution network.
1993
Shanghai office opens
China office opens in Shanghai to support Brand Partners with further growth opportunities.
1997
New York, New York!
New York representative office opens, supporting on coordination with US-based luxury, premium and lifestyle brands with high potential in Asian markets.
1998
Sophie and Laurent de Rougemont join the family business
The family’s third generation, Sophie and Laurent become an integral part of Bluebell and move to join the company’s headquarters in Hong Kong.
1999
Bluebell in Thailand
Thailand office opens in Bangkok to support Brand Partners in Southeast Asia with further growth opportunities.
2000
We’re online!
First e-commerce site launches, offering Davidoff cigars across Asia.
Website: www.nextcigar.com
2000
An innovative and world-leading POS system
Invested in Raymark, a Canadian POS software company, and assisted the company to develop a system capable of handling a multi-currency, multi-lingual, and multi-brand environment. Revolutionary at the time, investment in the company allowed for a quick and easy roll-out.
2004
Jimmy Choo partners with Bluebell
Jimmy Choo partners with Bluebell to operate the brand in Asia, supported by direct investment in the brand through a joint venture with equity participation.
2005
Connecting with Japanese Consumers
Opening of the first store under Bluebell’s own Atelier des Parfums concept. A multi-brand environment in department stores created to address a gap in the Japanese market for fragrances.
2009
The Luxury Business Institute
Launch of the Luxury Business Institute, a leading consultancy and training organization specialized in the luxury industry. With branches in Seoul, Jeju and Shanghai, LBI supports luxury brands with consultancy and training services through a wide range of customized solutions provided by field experts.
Website: www.lbi-korea.co.kr
2009
Transformation: Bluebell’s digital vision
Establishment of Bluebell’s digital division in order to transform, support and improve digital operations of Brand Partners throughout Asia.
2011
Opening of Louis Vuitton’s Incheon flagship
Louis Vuitton partners with Bluebell to launch and operate its only aiport Duty Free store in Asia, at Incheon International Airport, Seoul, Korea.
2012
Carven and Bluebell venture ahead
Carven partners with Bluebell, entering a joint venture with equity participation to secure the right retail locations and leverage traditional and digital marketing strengths to connect with Asian consumers.
2013
I Do! Pandora partners with Bluebell
Pandora partners with Bluebell to take over the underperforming business from a previous agent. With a re-organized and expanded store network in better locations, the brand was repositioned and sales grew from negative to positive.
2014
The largest Travel Retail operator in Korea
Bluebell becomes the largest Travel Retail operator in Korea, working with over 40 Brand Partners in the competitive duty free market.
2015
Acquiring Retail in Asia
Retail in Asia is acquired, a pioneering free news website dedicated to the Asian retail industry. With over 18,000 high-level subscribers, the outlet provides readers with the latest news, reports, trends, events and openings that are happening across the Asian retail landscape.
Website: www.retailinasia.com
2015
Bluebell Studio
Bluebell Studio is established, a wholesale lifestyle division offering distribution and marketing strategies for up-and-coming accessory and lifestyle brands.
2016
Salon des Parfums and Petit Jardin des Parfums launch in Japan
Opening of the first stores under Bluebell’s own Salon des Parfums and Petit Jardin des Parfums concepts. Multi-brand environments in department stores, Salon des Parfums offers a small and exclusive selected range of Maison fragrances, while Petit Jardin des Parfums is designed entirely for millennial consumers.
2016
Growing top talent: Bluebell Retail Academy begins
Launch of the Bluebell Retail Academy, an in-house luxury retail training program to ensure the front-line staff of our Brand Partners are operating with the highest levels of customer service and satisfaction across Asia.
2017
A new concept for Malaysia: b.space
b.space, a store targeting millennial male consumers opens at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur. b.Space is a retail concept innovated by Bluebell to reach an underserved consumer segment in the fast growing Malaysian market.
2018
Growing cross-border e-commerce: Investing in Star Brands Asia
Expanding our footprint in Mainland China with an investment in Star Brands Asia - experts in cross-border e-commerce for beauty and cosmetics brands entering the market. SBA has been instrumental in establishing niche brands in the market, most recently launching Morphe, which became a top 10 TMALL flagship store for eyeshadow.
2019
Manolo Blahnik opens Omotesando flagship store
Omotesando is the Tokyo equivalent of Paris’ Champs-Élysée, constantly bustling with brand-name shoppers, trendy youth and international tourists - the Manolo Blahnik flagship is brand's seventh store in Japan with Bluebell, a partnership which has led to Asia wide store openings including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei.
2020
Bluebell launches new fragrance concept store, Jardin des Parfums
The lifestyle fragrance concept store is focused on the younger generation. It offers a sleek urban neutral design for the brands to stand out.
2020
Bluebell Korea celebrates its 60 years
Opened in 1960, Bluebell Korea proudly carries 50 of the world’s most prestigious brand partners in over 400 POS across the country.
2021
Bluebell enters Cambodia
Oxley-Worldbridge enters into Memorandum of Understanding with the Bluebell Group, to manage the retail mall of the landmark development, the Peak, in the heart of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
2021
Star Brands Travel Retail, Hainan, China
Bluebell extends its investment in Star Brands Asia, to partner in its expansion in China’s travel retail sector.
2021
Sabon
Sabon launches with Bluebell in the Singapore market, with a digital first presence.
2021
L’Atelier des parfums launches in Korea
Bluebell expands its L’Atelier des Parfums concept to Korea, as part of the Group’s strategy to strength its presence in the Korean domestic retail market.
2022
Bluebell enters the Australian market
Bluebell launches operations in Australia.