Spanish jewelry brand makes presence felt in PH

TOUS expands its global network to include the Philippines

From a small watch repair shop put up in the 1920s, Spanish jewelry brand Tous has expanded to a global company with over 500 branches, including one in the Philippines.

Tous—pronounced as “toes,” not “two”—got its name from the family that started it.

Salvador Blavi Tous, and his wife, Teresa Mas Ponsa, owned the watch repair shop in Barcelona, Spain, that eventually evolved into a jewelry business.

The family business took off when their son, Salvador Ponsa Tous, married Rosa Oriol in 1965 and thought of making a line of jewelry that would veer away from the traditional.

Oriol, who was fond of personalizing customers’ jewelry, came up with the idea during one of her travels.

“On one of her trips, she saw stuffed animals [displayed] in a store. So she made [gold jewelry] patterned after those animals. Of all the designs, the teddy bear was the best-seller. She thought of using that as an icon,” said Tracy Aquino, Tous brand manager for the Philippines.

It is a warmly accepted symbol that Tous plans to build around as it expands its presence in the Philippines, where it expects to connect mainly to women’s youthful spirit.

“The jewelry collection reflects being fun, youthful and tender across all ages,” she said.

The first Tous store in the country, a 180-square-meter shop at Glorietta 2, Makati City, opened on April 11.

Rimini Italia Inc., a unit of TriMark Holdings Inc., the exclusive franchisee of Spanish and Italian brands such as Terranova, Liu-Jo, Aita Barcelona and Piazza Italia, brought Tous to the country.

“A few years back, we approached Tous and said we were interested in the brand. It took a while before they grew their confidence in the Philippine market … they saw how the country had developed,” said Obee Ham, TriMark head of business development.

Ham said that with the introduction of Tous in the Philippines, the company hoped that Filipinos would be more open to buying branded, ready-to-wear jewelry.

“Like Rosa (Oriol), we are promoting a new way of buying jewelry. Filipinos are used to having personal jewelers come to their house. Now, it’s more about the availability and feasibility of the brand,” Ham said.

TOUS store at Glorietta

Prices depend on the style, but a bracelet goes for a minimum of P3,000.

Ham said Tous was perfect for gifting and celebrating.

“We want to be able to celebrate moments,” she said.

Aside from the jewelry line, Tous is also known for its collection of bags, watches, perfumes, eyewear and accessories.

Aquino, however, said the company would focus this year on introducing Tous jewelry and bags to the market.

“We want to avoid confusion with what Tous really is. We would like to be known as a jewelry brand first,” Aquino said.

Ham, meanwhile, said Tous was continuing to develop in Southeast Asia while maintaining its hold in the strong markets in Europe and Latin America.

As for Tous Philippines, it is also looking to expand to other areas.

“There are no specific locations yet, but we will definitely be opening a few more stores around the metro this year,” Ham said.