Davidoff’s Flagship Mother Store in Geneva Reopens With New Look

Visitors to the Davidoff Flagship Store on Rue de Rive 2 in Geneva will see a completely new design and store concept, as the store has been revamped in accordance with the new globally standardized design concept “Davidoff of Geneva – since 1911.” The official grand re-opening was Tuesday, March 24.

“We are proud to celebrate the reopening of our mother store here in Geneva in this particular year, which marks the 140th anniversary of Oettinger Davidoff AG,” said Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, ceo and member of the board of Oettinger Davidoff AG, via a press release. “What makes the opening all the more special is, that this shop, founded in 1911, is the true mother place of the ‘Davidoff of Geneva’ Experience which significantly shaped our company. Now is also the perfect time to honor Dr. Ernst Schneider and Zino Davidoff.”

Hoesjgaard went on to say that in 1970, Dr. Schneider took over Zino Davidoff’s shop, and that transaction between founded the starting point for the Davidoff global brand, calling it “a brand that connects people all around the world, a brand that fills the unforgettable moments in life with the joy and pleasure of elegance and beauty, a brand that embraces our philosophy of ‘Time Beautifully Filled’.”

Davidoff began redoing its home flagship a few months ago, it has spent much of the year operating out of a white container on the sidewalk of the store, a practice that is becoming trendy for pop-ups in Switzerland.

Flagship of @Davidoff_Cigars flagships, our Geneva store where it all started, is renovating – temp biz in container pic.twitter.com/277vrsoKAm

— Beat Hauenstein (@DavidoffCEO) January 12, 2015

The “Mother Store” measures approximately 100-square-meters, with a 30-square-meter walk-in humidor and a retail and accessories section covering the remaining space. The humidor was uniquely designed with a ceiling covered in tobacco leaves, emulating a cigar production environment in the Dominican Republic.

The store’s interior design combines lush woods and natural materials in earthy tones that are reminiscent of the color of the cigars. Accentuated with shades of copper and adorned with a ”Light Forest“ chandelier from Studio Ontwerpduo at the entrance that recalls the tropical flowers of the Dominican Republic, this historical store has been transformed into a retail space that is at once elegant, contemporary, and warm.

“The challenge in redesigning this unique cigar shop was to preserve its history but to continue our mission to delight and surprise our consumers worldwide by delivering unique brands and unrivalled retail experiences,” said Thomas Mathys, store manager of the Geneva Davidoff Flagship Store.

The new look and feel of the flagship store is designed to retell the Davidoff legacy and continues the tradition of creating an inspiring place where aficionados can find exceptionally crafted cigars and limited editions, including the Masterpiece Humidor Collection “Cave de Paille,” created by French artist Lison de Caunes. It is also the first store in the world to display a holographic box, with the first film featuring the Winston Churchill campaign.