How Europe views luxury

Luxury is gaining increasing public acceptance — that is the main conclusion of the latest study by TNS Sofres for ECCIA, the European Cultural and Creative Industries Alliance. The lobbyists from the five major European producers and distributors of luxury went before the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday morning, armed with statistics.

The study compared answers from the current survey to one conducted in 2009 for questions about the image of luxury as viewed by some 5,000 European respondents (1,000 per country represented). The study showed that a good number of respondents generally held a favorable opinion of the luxury industry. For example, the question "Which value do you associate with the luxury sector?” elicited the answer “quality” from 53% of respondents versus 44% in 2009. The Spanish and the British are the most convinced on this same question, 65% and 63% of those surveyed respectively associating luxury with quality.

The results show that 76% of survey respondents from the five countries represented by ECCIA believe that the luxury sector creates jobs and 71% feel it promotes the cultural influence of Europe in the world. The Colbert Committee representing France emphasized that the luxury sector represents 3% of European GDP, 10% of exports and employs more than 1.5 million people.

“2013 marked a turning point in the recognition of the specificity of the luxury sector and its potential for growth in Europe,” said Elisabeth Ponsolle des Portes, delegate of the Comité Colbert, “both with European agencies and public opinion.” The next step is to convince public authorities.

Already on the agenda is a Franco-German meeting between Colbert and the German organization Meisterkreis, to be held June 26 and 27 in Berlin to raise awareness again among "high level" government figures as part of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Elysee.

How Europe views luxury

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