Enter Claudia Cividino at Bally

Swiss luxury retailer Bally in its attempts to begin to conquer the American market has brought on industry veteran, Claudia Cividino, as their new CEO of the Americas. While the luxury market seems very hit or miss in America right now, with certain brands like Brunello Cucinelli and Roger Vivier exceeding revenue expectations, but other brands like Hugo Boss and even American favorite Ralph Lauren performing below expectations, Cividino’s appointment comes at a time when luxury retailers need all the right people they can to keep their American footprint strong.

Cividino arrives at Bally with a very impressive resumé, which includes stints at Coach, Yves Saint Laurent, and Reed Krakoff. She arrives to Bally having recently served as vice-president of Miu Miu-Prada SpA. While Cividino will be based in the U.S., and her offices located in NYC, her job will not just entail the expansion of Bally’s presence in the U.S. market, but in Canada and Latin America as well. Cividino will report to Bally CEO Frédéric de Narp who plans on having sales in the region double over the next five years.

Claudia Cividino to help Bally expand in the Americas

While China and the Asian market has been the focus of many other luxury retailers, such as Michael Kors, the markets in Asia have been looking sluggish recently, and it’s no secret that Europe and Russia are struggling, so the label thought it was best to focus on their expansion in the Americas. While the Americas only represents about 10 percent of Bally’s revenue, but, DeNarp is hoping that it will eventually generate 20 percent of the business.

DeNarp is also ensuring that this will happen by targeting some of the best retail locations in the country. In her new role, Cividino will be overseeing the opening of Bally’s new flagship store on the iconic shopping strip Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles – the strip that is home to the most iconic luxury retailers in the world from Gucci to Chanel, and is seen as one of the world’s most famous shopping streets – as well as new stores in South Coast Plaza and Miami to be opened later in the fall. Bally’s expansion won’t stop there, however. They are also looking at new projects in New York and Latin America, with their new Bally store concept being designed by British architect David Chipperfield who is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts.

In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Cividino was quoted saying “My focus will be on rebuilding the business in the Americas and elevating Bally’s profile within this key market.” With all the proper ground work in place, Cividino should easily be able to see that Bally is soaring toward success by the end of 2015. As usual, though, the proof will be in the revenue numbers come the end of Q4 in 2015, but, things are certainly headed in the right direction for Bally.