Against The Grain

Mr. Dario Reicherl is a maverick of the furniture retail world, bringing 147-year-old Danish furniture manufacturer Republic of Fritz Hansen to new heights by charting unexplored territory.

- Luo Jingmei

Five years ago I met Mr. Dario Reicherl at the opening of the world’s first Fritz Hansen mono-brand store in Singapore. At that time, he had just done the unthinkable — extracting the Danish furniture brand from a distinguished multi-brand store, where it had retailed for decades, and giving it its own space. Naysayers were plenty, but Mr. Reicherl was steadfast. Today, the business has grown four times in Asia and by 30 percent in the Japan market, where Mr. Reicherl took over three years ago in his current role as CEO of Fritz Hansen Asia.

There are now 28 Fritz Hansen mono-brand stores worldwide, with 25 in Asia. The charismatic 45-year-old German-Italian strongly believes in this formula. “You cannot be in a multi-brand store, because you will get lost like in a museum. I don’t believe in that system, which also promotes very high prices,” he asserts, highlighting how concurrently he has managed to align prices across Asia as much as possible, so one can purchase an iconic Arne Jacobsen–designed Swan or Egg chair at prices similar to those in Denmark.

Authenticity and Intimacy

The mono-brand store concept is more synonymous with fashion, but Mr. Reicherl believes in its effectiveness across industries in promoting brand awareness and respect. In his 20s, while working for Lufthansa, he pioneered the German airline’s first mono-brand travel agency. Prior to joining Fritz Hansen in 2010, he introduced an Italian systems furniture maker into Singapore with a mono-brand store, which expanded to 10 outlets across Asia in three years.