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I. Time Context This paper is tabled in the time of 2005

The focal point of this paper is viewed in the eyes of the father of the LVMH Empire, Arnault.

III. Statement of the problem By what means would the LVMH synergize their product lines to sustain the thrust of its growth?

IV. SWOT Analysis

Strength

Implication

Strong Brand Name Long term Experience Leading position in their industry Premium quality reputation

The company is known worldwide LVMHs prestige brand focus is a key foundation of the groups strategy. It has the leadership in luxury product market "Strong Brand Name For LVMH" is an easily defendable qualitative factor, so competing institutions will have a difficult time overcoming it.

Weaknesses

Implication Though the company targets towards high income earners, this leaves the rest of the market untapped where more sales could be made The luxury goods are very sensitive to the fluctuation of economy; any economic wave could influence its sales. LVMHs business largely depends on the economic situation of the buyer and broad acquisition makes no sense and could bring burden. Implication

Single Market Target Diversification Conflict of interest within company (fashion vs. wine and spirits) Forward and backward integration Declining shares

Opportunities

Merger and acquisition New consumer trends New buying potential in Emerging markets Improvement of way of selling their large product line Product Extension Celebrities

The company has been acquiring new emerging star brands which enable them to update themselves with the new trend. This also leads to producing new products to offer their growing customers all over the world. Celebrities have a major influence with what the latest trends are in clothing style. Many celebrities are seen wearing or using high end luxury items. Celebrities can be used as marketing tools to promote the companys latest products.

Threats Change of trends and consumer taste Economic Recession Competitor in smaller markets Competition ( The strongest one is Gucci) Fake Products

Implication Harms on the companys reputation due to high quality falsification problems in coping with the recent economic downturn. A lingering global recession contributed to a worldwide decline in the purchase of luxury goods plus there are many fake imitators out there that take away from selling their own products to consumers.

V. Alternative Courses of Action (ACA) 1. Expand globally through acquiring potential star brands and redefining low profit product line. 2. Product exchange innovation through E-commerce and M-commerce.

V. Discussion and Analysis ACA 1 LVMH includes a portfolio of 60 brands among the most known Mot et Chandon, Hennessy and Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Guerlain, Kenzo and Givenchy. Bernard Arnault the CEO and Chairman of the Board driven by strong managerial attitude have accomplished a successful integration of the LVHMs portfolio, making the company a unique conglomerate and the world's biggest luxury group.

LVMH brand success is achieved by strong management and know-how in their industry. Bernard Arnault believes that a star brand must be Respect for brand autonomy and a distinctive identity is a fundamental tenet of LVMHs management philosophy. The rationale of LVMHs creation through merger is to build the luxury empire and create the largest conglomerate of luxury brands in the world. This process entails the redefinition of a bunch of small and fragmented industries into coherent and growing sector, which put into a good position to dominate the markets. Arnault believed that the action should be taken quickly when the few star brands are still available before others realize it. Tradition and vision lie with the brand, that the brand generates the energy and motivation. Thus, the independence of individual brands has been guaranteed during the pursuit of cross-brand synergy within LVMH Group. LVMH reflected the brand-centric culture. The headquarters flexibly review each brands business plan on a case by case basis and are very involved in deciding and assigning financial resources towards the implementation of the strategic plans. Strategic integration was established by formal dynamic and was gradually institutionalized. It started with the integration of the Perfume and Cosmetics branch, and then created the Fashion group and the Watches and Jewelry branch. All the Wine and Spirits branch were integrated. The Selective retails arm maintained decentralized. By integration, LVMH aims to profit more from the synergies and growth opportunities, and also take full advantage of the leadership position. The centralized R&D team, purchases of supplies and the merged critical services such as legal support improved the efficiency. The new brand and the start-ups must gain the legitimacy to gain access to distributers according to the strategy. Moreover, the niche brands that take advantage of being a part of LVMH Empire did better. Overall, the corporate strategy and the brand-centric strategies succeeded by the improved efficiency, reduced cost and increased

revenue. The existed star brands had more resources and funds to develop their business globally, whilst the small and new brands increased portfolio and competition ability by taking advantage of LVMHs size and capabilities in the face of a market consolidation. The real synergies among the brands and the endeavor had mixed results, but most of them were positive including reduced cost, specialized functions, more dominated positions etc. For LVMH to maintain its creativity in the luxury and fashion business within its increasingly complex and cumbersome corporate apparatus it must maintain the independence of the brands, flexibly adjust the strategies based on the elements such as economy environment, competition situation, the changing status of trend-setting etc., and never stop pursuing excellence, maintain the brand aura and the desirability.

ACA 2 LVMH going online is one good strategy to boost its growth and at the same time advertise its diverse products offerings to a wide range of consumers. The boom of the dot com era opened a lot of opportunities to diverse business and institutions. LVMH can take this opportunity to make its product line be known at a global scale. Investing in Information Technology can also be LVMHs new lead against its competitors. Through the creation of its website, LVMH can showcase its product lines. It has to conceive a catchy website design and layout that matches its brand image and luxury. Apart from aesthetics, it has to be stable, dynamic, easy to navigate, and will be able to withstand the demands of the payment process whilst ensuring safety and protection against online theft. Moreover, LVMH can also look into mobile commerce. Since it caters high profile consumers who are mostly adept to the latest technological and fashion advancement, mobile commerce can be a hit as well. It has to develop application for mobile devices such as new product

offerings and LVMH news updates to its consumers. It also has to enable its website to mobile compliant. Focusing IT can present new business opportunities and LVMH must adapt to the changing environment and consumer trend. However, IT venture can entail huge amount of money for the company. LVMH would be spending a lot for its website development and maintenance, as well as for its M-commerce venture. In addition, security is another issue that it needs to consider since websites and online payments are most likely to be attacked by hackers.

VI. Recommendation LVMH would be triumphant with ACA 1 (Expand globally through acquiring potential star brands and redefining low profit product line) in its course to address the issues of expansion and leveraging its profit through product line synergy.

VII. Action Plan