Davidoff Opens its most prestigious Flagship Store and Lounge in Downtown Manhattan
Basel/New York (April 13, 2016) - Davidoff celebrates the official opening of its global Flagship Store and Cigar Lounge in lower Manhattan today. ‘Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911’ Downtown occupies a spectacular 2,000 square feet in Brookfield Place – a luxury shopping destination alongside the Hudson River in New York City’s Financial District.
The store is a beautiful illustration of Davidoff’s global retail concept, which features a luxury environment and guest experience. Guests are ushered into a premium cigar retail space, flanked by a walk-in humidor and luxury lounge. Private lockers are also available for lease by customers looking to store their personal collections.
“The new Davidoff Flagship Store in downtown New York marks the culmination of an ambitious new direction for Davidoff which brings our philosophy of ‘Time Beautifully Filled’ to life. From the expertise of the craft to the enjoyment of our products, this third Davidoff Flagship Store in New York will provide the ultimate luxury cigar experience to all who visit,” said Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, CEO and board member of Oettinger Davidoff AG.
“Our mission is to surprise and delight our consumers by providing unrivaled brand and retail experiences in a comfortable but luxurious space,” said Jim Young, President of Davidoff of Geneva USA. “Our Downtown New York store is an exceptional addition to our portfolio of now five company-owned properties, including two others here in New York, one in Atlanta, another soon to open in Houston, along with licensed boutiques in Las Vegas and our US home town Tampa, Florida.”
“New York is clearly one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in the world, and we are proud to cap off our Davidoff of Geneva presence in Manhattan with this luxurious showpiece,” said Luis Torres, Director of Retail – US. “There's no doubt now that Lower Manhattan is the new destination for New York City's cigar enthusiasts and those who shop for them.”
Exclusive Interior Design Each element of the space has been designed to evoke a sense of serene luxury. The lounge features custom furnishings from Walter Knoll Germany and Poltrona Frau. A visual centerpiece in the lounge is a chandelier created by Ontwerpduo called “Light Forest,” designed to reflect the tropical flowers found in the Dominican Republic.
Davidoff also commissioned former Davidoff Artist in Residence, Pascal Meccariello, to create a custom piece of art – “The Harvest,” which adorns the walls of the lounge.
Exclusive Cigar Edition To commemorate the opening and to celebrate the new presence of ‘Davidoff of Geneva – since 1911’ Downtown, the company has commissioned “The NYC Downtown Exclusive” cigar, an elegant Belicoso format which begins with sweet notes of coffee, leather and some spice, leading to more intense notes of wood and sweet roasted nuts. These complex flavor notes are complimented by a beautiful aroma of honey, wood and earth. The NYC Downtown Exclusive is only available at the Downtown store and will retail for approximately $25.00 per cigar or $250 for a box of 10.
Store Information: ‘Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911’ Downtown New York 225 Liberty St, New York, NY 10281 Phone: (212) 897-2866 Opening hours Monday – Saturday: 10am to 8pm Sunday: 12pm to 6pm
Additional New York Stores are located at: ‘Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911’ Madison 515 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10022 Phone (212) 751-9060
‘Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911’ Sixth Avenue 1390 Ave. of the Americas New York, NY 10019 Phone (212) 757-3167
About Pascal Meccariello’s commissioned work The Harvest Beauty is in constant movement and evolution. When I found myself face-to-face with the tobacco leaves, I discovered an aspect of the evolutionary process I had not known before: the idea of maturation. The leaves are alive and in a state of constant change. They acquire new textures and colors. They gradually express their essence. This transformation has inspired my artistic work.
The large collage which I created for the Davidoff Flagship Store in New York City is made up of hundreds of figures, which I cut one-by-one with special scissors. I spread the tobacco leaves symmetrically on mirrors, giving birth to an image of the harvest. The composition not only evokes tobacco plants, but also refers to jungle vegetation and various flowers and fruits. Time was an essential ingredient of the work. Tobacco—so typical in the tropics, where I am from—was its ultimate inspiration.
Davidoff invited me to see first-hand the processes of growing tobacco and making cigars. My visit to Santiago allowed me to discover this totally new world. It was an unforgettable and inspiring experience. I hope everyone can enjoy the atmosphere embodied in this work, as much as I enjoyed making it.
About Pascal Meccariello Pascal Meccariello (b. 1968, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a multidisciplinary artist and actor who has worked in video, installation, photography, drawing, ceramics, and acting performances, among other artistic techniques. Among his most notable individual exhibitions are Invisible, in the Spanish Cultural Center in Santo Domingo, in 2013, which was aimed at visually impaired people. In the same year at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut, he presented Parenthesis. Meccariello was featured in the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013 and the 11th Biennial in Havana in 2012 with the group QUINTAPATA, of which he is a founding member. In 2007 and 2008, he took part in the Arteamericas Fair in Miami, and in 2004 was selected as a part of Island Nations, an exhibition in the RISD Museum in Providence, Rhode Island. His work has garnered important prizes and awards, including two first prizes at the 25th National Biennale of the Visual Arts in 2009 and the E. León Jimenes Art Competition in 2002. Meccariello’s works have been entered into the collections at JPMorgan Chase, New York City; the Museum of Modern Art, in Santo Domingo; EKWC in s’Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands; and the Centro León in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Meccariello has been awarded several scholarships: UNESCO-Aschberg Bursary for Artists, Fulbright Scholar in Residence, and most recently the Davidoff Art Residency at the Red Gate Residency in Beijing, China.
About the Davidoff Art Initiative The Davidoff Art Initiative supports contemporary art and artists in the Caribbean, strengthens art organizations in the Dominican Republic, shares knowledge and expertise about contemporary art and fosters cultural engagement between the Caribbean and the rest of the world. At the core of the Art Initiative, Davidoff aims to engage closely with the arts and culture of the Dominican Republic, where much of its production and many of its employees are based, bringing opportunity and visibility to the art and culture of the Caribbean region,and extending the company’s long-standing commitment to artistry, craftsmanship,community and quality. The Davidoff Art Initiative’s four global program areas are Art Residencies, Art Dialogues, Art Grants, and Art Editions. For more information, please visit davidoffartinitiative.com
About Oettinger Davidoff AG
The CHF 1.23 billion Oettinger Davidoff AG with over 3600 employees around the world,traces its roots back to 1875 and remains family-owned to this day with two distinctly different businesses: one focused on FMCG distribution in the Swiss market and the other dedicated to the core business of producing, marketing and retailing premium-branded cigars, tobacco products and accessories. The premium-branded cigar business includes Davidoff, AVO,Camacho, Cusano, Griffin’s, Private Stock, Zino and Zino Platinum. The Oettinger Davidoff AG business is anchored in a strong “crop-to-shop” philosophy, having pursued vertical integration from the tobacco fields in the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua to the global network of over 70 Davidoff Flagship Stores that complement a network of strong Appointed Merchants around the world.
Media Contact for Davidoff of Geneva USA:
Laura PeetPeetCom Inc.
(917) 860-6285
Media contact at Headquarters:
Oettinger Davidoff AG
Corporate Communications
Hochbergerstrasse 15
CH – 4002 Basel
Tel. +41 61 279 36 24