A New School collaboration with funds from Robin Hood Foundation

French luxury goods giant LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton will launch a retail training program for underprivileged bilingual Chinese Americans in the hopes of better serving Chinese tourists in the US, the company announced this week.

Presented in conjunction with Parsons the New School for Design and the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) with funds from the poverty-fighting Robin Hood Foundation, "LVMH Fundamentals in Luxury Retail: A CPC/Parsons Collaboration" will aim to reach low-wage Chinese workers with high school diplomas who demonstrate a passion for style and retail.

"We are thrilled to partner with the CPC and Parsons, with support from Robin Hood, to launch a unique training program for Chinese-Americans," said Chantal Gaemperle, group executive vice-president for human resources and synergies atLVMH. "Our aim is to help job-seekers seize opportunities in the luxury retail business. This project also addresses a specific need among luxury retail stores to best serve their Chinese-speaking customers while boosting career advancement opportunities for the community in New York City."

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which Forbes valued at $28.4 billion in 2012, owns an extensive portfolio of brands that includes Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Fendi, Marc Jacobs; and the alcoholic beverage brands Moet & Chandon and Dom Perignon champagnes and Hennessy brandies, among others.

In courses taught by Parsons professors and LVMH managers, the 10-week program will cover topics related to fashion history, consumer trends and retail operations, culminating in an internship at a LVMH brand store.

"The program's combined classroom and in-store training will develop talent with Mandarin-language skills, allowing the graduates to acquire the necessary basics as well as the confidence for a successful career within our demanding sector," Gaemperle said.

CPC will begin recruiting students for the program immediately, the company said. The first of three sessions in 2014 will begin in March.

David Chen, executive director of the CPC, expressed excitement about the program's potential to boost community employment.

"With close to five decades of experience in connecting new immigrants to new challenges and opportunities, CPC is confident that this joint effort byLVMHand Parsons will bring unprecedented results in creating new career paths for the many untapped talents in the Chinese-American community," he said.

Chinese tourists to the US have generated enormous business in recent years, and LVMH is only one of many luxury companies now aiming to target that market with Chinese-speaking sales associates.

"LVMH understands the role of the Chinese retail tourist and the impact they are having globally on high-end fashion and design," said Brian Buchwald, CEO ofBomoda, an online community website for Chinese shoppers, in an interview with Luxury Daily. "Chinese retail tourists are the canary in the coal-mine for what will prove successful back home. Assuming the program helps LVMH sell more effectively here and the sales associate proves a badge for that class, it will then undoubtedly aid LVMH's efforts on the [Chinese] Mainland."

kdawson@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 12/17/2013 page1)