Luxury Institute Survey: Chinese High Net-Worth Consumers Rank "Best of the Best" Luxury Brands in Six Categories

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - July 14, 2009) - The Luxury Institute reported today results of the "Best of the Best" luxury brands in China based on the 2009 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey, which identifies the top brands that deliver true luxury based solely on the unbiased ratings of wealthy Chinese consumers. The following six luxury categories were rated: Women's Fashion (29 brands), Women's Shoes (18 brands), Handbags (27 brands), Men's Fashion (25 brands), Men's Shoes (25 brands) and Automobiles (20 brands).

The LBSI asks high net-worth consumers to rate luxury brands by category across four equally weighted components: Consistently Superior Quality, Uniqueness and Exclusivity, Making the Customer Feel Special Across the Entire Experience and Being Consumed by People Who Are Admired and Respected.

Which luxury providers deliver the best combination of quality, exclusivity, customer experience and peer prestige in China?

The "Best of the Best" are: (LBSI score out of 10)

--  Women's Fashion
    --  Prada - 8.77
    --  Yves Saint Laurent - 8.75
    --  Hermes, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana (tied) - 8.68

--  Women's Shoes
    --  Ferragamo - 8.69
    --  Gucci - 8.66
    --  Hermes - 8.64

--  Handbags
    --  Hermes - 8.93
    --  Lulu Guinness - 8.77
    --  Ferragamo - 8.76

--  Men's Fashion
    --  Giorgio Armani - 8.74
    --  Louis Vuitton - 8.68
    --  Dior Homme and Paul Smith (tied) - 8.54

--  Men's Shoes
    --  Louis Vuitton - 8.66
    --  Versace - 8.51
    --  Giorgio Armani, Brian Atwood and Gucci (tied) - 8.48

--  Automobiles
    --  Porsche - 8.79
    --  Mercedes-Benz - 8.72
    --  BMW - 8.70

"China is now the most important luxury market for near-future growth for luxury brands," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. "In some ways, Chinese luxury consumers covet many of the same brands as the Japanese. In other ways, they tend to rate luxury brands much higher, yet differentiate far less between brands than their more experienced Japanese counterparts. Early movers who flawlessly execute on the new luxury fundamentals and ignore the 'back to basics' movement will have the advantage because the luxury game in China is still wide open, therefore luxury brands will have to go to a new, innovative level; making China a wonderful laboratory for global innovation."

The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey is the only unbiased measure of the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Chinese consumers. A national sample of 600 wealthy Chinese consumers, with a minimum household income of 1 million Chinese Renminbi (or 147,000 U.S. Dollars) and an average household income of 381,000 U.S. Dollars was surveyed online.

About the Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)

The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and impartial ratings and research institution that is the trusted and respected voice of the global high net-worth consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary publications and research and consulting services that guides and educates high net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading edge trends, high net-worth consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands, and best practices. The Luxury Institute also operates the LuxuryBoard.com (www.LuxuryBoard.com), the world's first global, membership-based online community for luxury goods and services executives, professionals and entrepreneurs.

Contact Information: For Further Information, Please Contact: Evins Communications, Ltd. Dotty J. Giordano Director Enid Lewin Vice President Phone: (212) 688-8200 E-mail: dotty.giordano@evins.com E-mail: enid.lewin@evins.com The Luxury Institute, LLC Martin Swanson Business Development Phone: (914) 909-6350 E-mail: mswanson@luxuryinstitute.com