MSc Global Luxury and Management students participate in ‘retail challenge’

​To end their academic year on a high note, the MSc Global Luxury and Management students took part in a challenge during which they had to present a coherent retail strategy in front of an audience of luxury industry professionals. "The challenges are part of the teaching methodology of the programme, as they enable the students to work on concrete projects with luxury companies. It's more than a case study as the students act as consultants. They are coached byprofessors and managers. This gives the training an operational dimension and helps optimise networking," explained Emmanuelle Rigaud, director of the MSc Global Luxury and Management.

Interactions and coaching with luxury sector professionals

For the challenge, the students worked on three different sectors under the guidance of the managers who had taught them through the year. "As part of the challenge, the students worked on three brands, in three different fields: the automotive market, perfumes and cosmetics, and shoes," added Emmanuelle Rigaud.

For cosmetics and perfumes, it was Nicolas Evrard, a SKEMA alumnus, lecturer in the MSc Global Luxury and Management and senior area manager Retail UK at Dior Cosmetics, who assessed the students. For the luxury footwear market, the students were coached by Jean-Marc Laborde (sales vice president for JM Weston), and for the luxury automobile sector by Benoît Durupt (France director of network development at Porsche). 

In addition to these professionals, the students interacted with managers from Luxottica, LVMH and Hegid.