Retail Refugees

Gucci has announced a collaboration with auction house Christies that will create a protected marketplace and valuation resource for vintage Gucci duds.  According to Suzy Menkes from the IHT…

“This new service will provide a trusted venue for transactions of vintage Gucci items, thereby avoiding recourse to uncontrolled auction sites such as eBay,” said Patrizio di Marco, chief executive of Gucci, on Monday.

The “Gucci Collector” site, presented by Christie’s, will offer a virtual-style valuation of vintage items. The site, scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year, will be a dedicated section on www.christies.com where people seeking appraisals can upload images of their objects for examination. Christie’s is, like Gucci, part of the luxury group PPR.”

This looks like it will be a great project for this niche.  With a heritage like Gucci has, and the reputation that Christies has, the only variable will be the number of people actively seeking and selling the products.