Bulgari (jewellery brand)

Bulgari logo

**Bulgari SpA** (stylized as **BVLGARI** ) is an Italian company founded in 1884 that manufactures luxury goods (jewelry, watches, perfumes, leather accessories) and owns luxury hotels. Bulgari is part of the LVMH group (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) and closes the top three largest jewelry companies in the world (after Tiffany & Co. and Cartier ). The brand name is usually spelled *BVLGARI* , based on the traditional Latin alphabet , where the letters "V" and "U" are equivalent in spelling. The headquarters is located in Rome.

The brand specializes in the production of jewelry, watches, leather goods, accessories, perfumes and skin care products. As of the beginning of 2011, there were 268 stores under the Bulgari brand in the world (of which 167 belonged to Bulgari SpA itself). In addition, Bulgari is developing a hotel chain (Bulgari Hotels & Resorts is managed by Marriott International).

Sotirios Bulgaris was a Greek jeweler, a native of the village of Paramitia in the region of Epirus, where the first boutique he opened has survived to this day. Paramitia constantly suffered from arson perpetrated by the Turks, so the family was forced to move. In 1877 the Bulgaris moved to Corfu, and then to Naples, where he opened his first gold jewelry store in Naples, Italy in 1880, but after several robberies the newly founded shop had to be relocated. In 1881 Bulgaris moved to Rome with his family. After 3 years, he founded his company and in the same 1884 opened the first boutique on Via Sistina. In 1905, the boutique on Via Sistina replaced the current flagship store of the brand on Via Condotti 10, which became a "historical monument". Sotirios Bulgaris opened it with the participation of his sons - Constantino (1889-1973) and Giorgio (1890-1966). The store was named the Old Curiosity Shop to attract the public from the US. Only after 1910 did he begin to specialize in jewelry, inspired by the Parisian and American jewelry schools. In 1932, Sotirios handed over the management of the company to his sons, and in 1934 he died. In the same year, the sons expanded the boutique on Via Condotti. Its grand opening took place on April 9, 1934. With the founding of the Cinecitta film studio in Rome, movie stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, Harry Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Romy Schneider, Gina Lollobrigida and others become regulars at the Bulgari boutique in Rome.

On March 7, 2011, the LVMH group announces the acquisition of 51% of the capital and makes a public friendly offer to purchase Bulgari shares. During the day, the company's shares on the Milan stock exchange grow by almost 60%. In September of the same year, the share of LVMH reaches 98.09%, and in February 2012 the Bulgari family sells its share to LVMH for 236.7 million euros. The director of Bulgari takes over the Group's Watches and Jewelry division, while the director of Fendi (Fashion and Leather Goods) heads the Italian Jewelery division. LVMH continues to develop the brand, acquired for a total of 3.7 billion euros: the group expands its investment in advertising, creates a trading house for all the group's jewelry brands and announces its intention to locate a Bulgari boutique in Place Vendôme in 2015, where it will replace the Buccellati jewelry brand. In 2012, Bulgari has 180 outlets worldwide: the international presence is growing, franchises are being bought out.