LeBebé is the flagship brand of Luce Bianca, the goldsmith company from Marcianise (Naples) that launched the trend of children’s jewelry, with the name that forms a pendant. Paolo Verde, marketing manager and third generation owner, told Repubblica about the company’s strategies and news, in an interview collected by Paola Jadeluca. Which reveals a purpose: LeBebé wants to grow quickly. The company is, in fact, planning growth through acquisitions. Who will be LeBebè’s future toy?
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« We are looking for brands to buy, even small ones, perhaps companies where it is impossible to guarantee generational changeover and that risk disappearing»: Paolo Verde is the inventor of LeBebé, the flagship brand of Lucebianca, a goldsmith company based in Marcianise (Naples), now in its third generation, with the brothers Fabrizio, who takes care of production, and Mariana, who takes care of administrative management. Puppies, classics, diamonds, pavé, seals, embroidery, exclusives, silhouettes and cubes, a niche of precious items with a very specific target: «Mothers who have just had a baby – says Verde – we launched the idea in 2007, with the classic two stylised children, then little by little the fashion took hold, also because it starts from 100 thousand lire and reaches up to thousands, a transversal target and if before it was the husband who gave the pendant to his wife, today relatives and friends resort to this gift also for other occasions, such as a birthday. We have estimated that four mothers out of ten wear one of our products ». In the space of a year it reached 3 million in turnover and in 2010 it had already reached 1 million. Then, due to the crisis, it fell back to the current 8.5 million. But the plan is to regain share as soon as possible, thanks above all to internationalisation and, at the same time, to the extension of the brand into adjacent sectors. Lebebé has already been joined by two other brands: Vera, a patent that allows you to insert the diamond letter of your loved one on your wedding ring;
and Qabala, as the name says, linked to a representative number. «Qabala is still a brand looking for its place, but we estimate a great potential based in this case on silver, which has allowed us to add a more accessible price line, around 60 euros. Gold silver: «The raw material is all Italian, and our subcontractors are Italian, spread across the historic districts: Valenza, Vicenza, Arezzo, and obviously the Tari district in Campania», says Verde. A springboard for abroad was participation in the Basel fair, the most important world showcase for watches and jewelry. A seed that has already begun to bear its first fruits. The landing in Romania, which in the space of a month has allowed a turnover of 50 thousand euros to be started. Even before that, there was the landing in Spain, which is already worth half a million euros. And China is in the future. Mothers and love for their children have become the fulcrum of a market, that of affectionate gifts, which is expanding radially around the core business. The wedding favors, which have already carved out their own space with a licensee; perfumes have been born; silver frames. A dedicated social network also contributes to expanding the business, in which 40 thousand mothers are currently registered, exchanging ideas on the most unthinkable problems. A tribe of consumers who have a lot to share: from baptism banquets to layettes for little ones. A world to be covered with gifts. Especially if they are designer. Ruggero Sandini, a jewelry designer, has in fact recently joined the Lucebianca stable.
