AS Monaco Basketball strolled to a comfortable 79-67 home victory against Le Portel on Sunday, as Sasa Obradovic’s men took full advantage of their extended break.
The postponement of Friday’s fixture against Lyon-Villeurbanne has clearly benefited the side, providing a gap in the packed basketball schedule. Obradovic, having replaced Zvezdan Mitrovic mid-season, has had little time to instil his ideas in his side. Obradovic was clearly grateful for this post-match, stating that, “We have had more time to train these past days. It is important to make the players understand what I expect of them in terms of their roles and the system.”
Against the bottom side in the Betclic Elite, Monaco started poorly as they struggled to cut through Le Portel’s stubborn defence. Monaco gradually worked their way back into the game in the first-quarter, largely thanks to the efforts of Leo Westermann and Ibrahima Fall Faye, the latter’s 11 points enough to make him Monaco’s top scorer in the fixture.
Ending the first-quarter with a slender lead, Monaco blew Le Portel away in the second with a monstrous offensive effort yielding 31 points, including an impressive 14 point streak that went unreplied. Paris Lee chipped in with a three-pointer, whilst Donatas Motiejūnas was prolific within the key.
The half-time buzzer brought to an end a dominant half from the Roca team, leaving them with the not so daunting task of managing their almost unassailable 19 point lead in the second-half.
Monaco comfortably navigated the third-quarter, managing to marginally extend their advantage, before losing their control on the game in the final quarter. It was not enough for Le Portel, who remain bottom of the table following the loss, whilst Monaco stay in second.
Although Obradovic was disappointed with the way that his side finished, he was nevertheless happy with a comfortable win in their first fixture of 2022. “There are lots of good things to hold on to. I am happy with our defence and the way in which we converted on the counter attack,” the Serb said. “It would have been better if we had kept up the intense rhythm until the end.”
Tuesday night fixture against Unics has been postponed due to Covid cases within the Russian side’s squad. Obradovic therefore has yet more time to work with his players in preparation for Thursday’s trip to Bayern Munich.
The legendary Café de Paris will be taking up temporary residence in the glamorous Salle Empire at the Hotel de Paris during an extensive one-year renovation of the original Monte-Carlo site.
The Café de Paris, which has been a staple of the Monaco landscape since 1868 under different guises, is about to undergo a major facelift and will be closed from March 2022 to April 2023.
But in order to keep the iconic institution up and running during this period, the owners of the café – Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) – have come up with a temporary solution to ensure the fabled brasserie carries on, though in a different setting.
According to a report in Monaco Matin, the Café de Paris is decamping across the square to the stunning Belle Epoque-styled Salle Empire at the Hôtel de Paris. The location was chosen for its beautiful terrace and views onto the Place du Casino, an inspired idea that will soothe fans of the Café de Paris and allow service to continue uninterrupted. Even the furniture will be moved to Salle Empire, as will all of the staff, says SBM.
The terrace of the Salle Empire at the Hôtel de Paris, source SBM
The Café de Paris started its history as the Café Divan in 1868 and was primarily for the use of hotel guests. After just a year, the restaurant’s success saw an expansion and a new name, the Grand Café de Monte-Carlo.
In 1882 and 1890, the site was renovated, but was soon changed again when, seven years later, it was demolished to make way for the Café de Paris that we know today.
Stefano Brancato, photo by Monaco Life
Whilst huge efforts are being made to ensure everything stays the same, one change will no doubt be felt. The long-time Director of the Café de Paris, Stefano Brancato, retired on 9th January after more than three decades at the helm.
Giving equal and always friendly service to celebrities, the Princely family and regular customers alike, Brancato decided it was time, at age 63, to start a new chapter of his life, though he intends to remain active.
AS Monaco Women sealed their place in the next round of the Coupe de France, keeping alive their hopes of cup glory. Their already historic run now sees them advance to the round of 16.
Stunning late goals from Laura Domecq and Eva Towara sealed a 3-1 victory against Colomiers at a sunbaked Prince Hereditaire Jacques stadium on Sunday. In the draw for the next round, ASM Women, alongside Grand Calais, will be the joint lowest-ranked sides left in the competition.
ASM Women set the tone for the match early-on, dominating possession and territory. Two early chances fell to Domecq, but having found herself one-on-one on two occasions, she couldn’t convert either chance.
It was Colomiers in a rare foray in the Monaco half who opened the scoring. American defender Maddie Watson brought down a Colomiers player in the box, and Manon Rouzies converted the resulting penalty.
Colomiers began to sit deeper and deeper, happy to allow Monaco possession on the edge of their half, but the pressure eventually told. Domecq restored parity midway through the second-half and from that point the barrage on the Colomiers goal was unrelenting.
It wasn’t until late on that ASM Women made their dominance count. Towara’s sweetly struck strike nestled in the bottom left corner to send the 300 home supporters into raptures. The victory was sealed just moments later, Domecq doubling-up with a sumptuous long-range strike that was out of the reach of the Colomiers keeper and nestled in the top-left corner.
Queue wild celebrations in the home dressing room. Having already made history by making it into the round of 32 of the Coupe de France for the first time, Domecq told Monaco Life that she is already thinking about the next round. “We are going to have to raise our game, because it won’t be the same kind of match.”
Watson told Monaco Life that she hopes the team can go all the way in the competition. “We want to go as far as possible, let’s win it if we can!” On her preference for the opponent in the next round, she said, “They’re all going to be good at this point so there’s no preference. We just want to win and play our game, and it doesn’t matter who we play.”
ASM Women supporters will be waiting with anticipation to find out the team’s next opponent, with the fixture to be played on Sunday 30th January.
AS Monaco celebrated the start of 2022 with the signing of Brazilian right-back Vanderson on New Year’s Day and on Friday he spoke to the media for the first time.
The new signing began with Vanderson thanking Oleg Petrov and Paul Mitchell for bringing him to the Principality, before he explained his reasons for choosing the side. “Monaco is a big European club, an important club. I want to involve myself in this club, and bring as much joy as possible to our supporters.”
Vanderson will wear the Number 2 shirt previously worn by fellow Brazilian and club legend Fabinho, and the new signing admitted that he had been inspired by his compatriot. “Fabinho, in his game, is a source of inspiration because he had a big impact. He had success and progressed at Monaco.”
Sporting Director Paul Mitchell, who was also in attendance on Friday, believes that Vanderson is a great asset in the medium and long-term. However, he also believes that Vanderson will have an immediate impact at the club, stating that “We need to give him a little bit of time to settle in and integrate, but I think he can have an impact this year for sure.”
Vanderson arrives off the back of an impressive breakthrough season in the Brazilian Serie A. Despite the relegation of his former side Gremio, the Brazilian shone through, registering three goals from right-back, and exciting fans with his dynamic, direct style.
His arrival endangers the future of Djibril Sidibe, and Mitchell told Monaco Life that the Frenchman’s potential departure was factored-in when weighing up the move for Vanderson. “We know that Djibril has a clear contractual situation,” the Englishman said. “We always have to be prepared and to plan for the future.”
The strength in depth in the right-back position should allow Vanderson time to settle-in and adapt to the French league, a process that is being aided by fellow Brazilian’s Caio Henrique and Jean Lucas. “They (Henrique and Lucas) have been a big help since my arrival, for my adaptation and on a daily basis with the group.”
The context of his arrival, coupled with his undoubted talent will allow the Brazilian time to assimilate without a burgeoning pressure to immediately produce match-winning performances for Monaco. Although fans will undoubtedly be treated to glimpses of his capabilities between now and the end of the season, expectations should nevertheless be tempered in the short-term. The hope around the club is that this developing young talent will help propel Monaco to longer-term success.
New AS Monaco coach Philippe Clement was flanked by Vice President Oleg Petrov and Sporting Director Paul Mitchell at a press conference on Wednesday as a new chapter in the club’s distinguished history got under way.
Wednesday’s press conference in a packed auditorium at Monaco’s world-class training facilities in La Turbie began with a statement from Petrov, in which he explained the decision to sack Niko Kovac. “At the mid-season break, we did a full analysis of everything that has happened, and that led us to this decision to make the change. It wasn’t an easy decision.” Petrov did, however, thank Kovac for his work. “I want to thank Niko and his technical team massively for everything that they have done. They have put in place the first phase of this sporting project.”
Mitchell sees Clement as the perfect successor to Kovac, as the project put in motion following his arrival in 2020 takes its next step. “2022 brings a new phase to our strategy here at AS Monaco,” the Englishman told the assembled press. He added, “Being a serial, three-time winner at Club Brugge and Genk, we felt he was the right profile at the right time to take this club a step forward in its ambitious project.”
In his first appearance before the press, Clement expressed his delight at having taken up the role: “I am so happy to be here in such an ambitious project. It is an honour to be in one of the top five divisions in the world, and I hope I can replicate what I did in Belgium.”
Asked by Monaco Life about his objectives for the rest of the season, the Belgian chuckled and looked at both the Vice President and the Sporting Director before saying, “Objectives? It’s always dangerous with people like this.” Without wanting to commit to a particular league standing, he continued, “I am someone who wants to win everything. That is always my objective. You have to do everything, every day to be as strong as possible. Creating a core group of winners – that is the most important thing.”
Mitchell also responded to Monaco Life, expressing his confidence in Clement’s ability to extract the club’s enormous potential. “I think the decision that we have come to is that we feel that there is more potential to be had at this moment with these great facilities, with a great team of staff that we have around the team, our constant support from our shareholder and the Principality, and now with a forward-thinking coach like Philippe – a winner, but also a manager with a great history of developing talent.”
The club hierarchy gave off an undeniably defiant, confident tone throughout the conference, as they entrust the next stage of their daring sporting project to Clement, who is champing at the bit to get started and write his own chapter in Monaco.
The luxury industry has changed dramatically thanks to a new generation of HNW consumers, digital advances and, of course, a worldwide pandemic. To understand more, we speak to IUM professor Matteo Atti.
Matteo Atti began his marketing career in luxury powerhouse Gucci before spending many years marketing luxury brands for HNWIs. He is now EVP of Marketing and Innovation at private aviation company VistaJet, and academic board advisor and professor at the International University of Monaco.
Monaco Life: How has the pandemic changed the spending habits of HNWIs?
Matteo Atti: We have not been through an economic crisis, we have been through a social and health crisis, therefore the spending power of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) has not changed dramatically.
They were, however, limited in their opportunity to spend. The pandemic has had an impact on the channels used to sell luxury products, so there are less in-person experiences and more use of digital channels and tools. This means that there are new systems and flows in the power of influence to make people purchase something. The entire pre-sale part has changed dramatically.
What also changed significantly is that luxury brands had to become part of the new cycle. There have been some big headlines over the past year – politics, pandemics, natural disasters, economic shifts… and all of this meant that there was less space for brands to broadcast their story and talk about themselves.
The new way to approach the market, then, is to create a story that fits into today’s needs. But the needs of the day change every two weeks. At VistaJet, for example, we went from building stories around how we can keep people safe at every stage of travel, to offering free flights for governments and repatriations. And that proved to be an incredible success because people saw us not just as a luxury brand, but a brand that can be part of their lives.
Our strategies change with the latest news. The aim is to be part of the story in a way that doesn’t sound like you are detached from the real world.
Speaking of the real world, people’s sense of social responsibility became stronger because of Covid, and figures show that socially-aware millennials will account for 55% of all luxury brand consumers in 2025. How are luxury brands dealing with this shift in social attitude?
We see social responsibility everywhere in fashion at the moment, for example, from how they are sourcing and treating the materials to how they are sourcing workers. We’re not just talking about the environment, we are talking general ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) factors, including workers’ rights and protection of the value chain.
We also see social responsibility in consumer habits. Luxury brands are now asking themselves how they can change the way they sell so that consumers start to look at their consumption patterns differently and reconsider the value of each purchase and the impact it will have after purchase.
So, I think the general shift is not only in the pre-sale, but also why they sell, and what happens to the product after it has been purchased.
It’s the same story in aviation. We are not only looking at how we can reduce fuel consumption, we are also trying to show our customers the benefit in flying differently. For example, say we have a client in London and a plane in Luton, but the client wants to depart from Farnborough. We offer to drive the client from London to Luton so we avoid doing that extra part of the flight. Most of our customers say ‘yes’ today, but you could never have asked this kind of thing five years ago. The answer in luxury was always, “Yes of course, we will make it happen”. Now, without looking inappropriate or cheap, we are allowed to say: “We believe what you are asking of us is not the best way to do it, can we suggest another way?”.
We are now bringing the customer into the change. We need to mature together in this new way of consuming, and that’s what’s happening across the entire luxury industry. The companies that are trying to do it alone will not have the same resonance as the ones asking customers to come along on the journey.
An engaged customer will talk to their friends about it; they will add value and suggest more ideas. Innovation becomes more of a cooperation, and there is more chance of success if a company grows an idea organically with the customer because they find a middle ground that works for both.
Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash
How has luxury marketing changed in real terms?
20 years ago, a brand would organise a big launch of a new product or concept, and everything was packaged up in one way, and one way only. Launches nowadays begin with a teaser phase followed by an engagement phase, a conversation phase, and then an initial launch for the early adopters.
Why? Because brands today understand that customers might have a better idea. They are embracing the fact that they are not in control of the entire conversation. They initiate ideas, but then millennials use various broadcasting models to exchange messages and provide commentary. They add value by giving information on how it can be done better. It’s like going back to the days when people exchanged stories around a campfire. In a way, we are doing what’s most natural to us. Of course, big brands want to guide certain conversations, but they’ve never been so open to public opinion and advice.
How important will e-commerce be to luxury sales in the future?
I think it is important to remember that you cannot force old models into new channels. With a digital channel, you gain something, but you also lose something. You gain immediacy, but you lose the personality. The big doubt in everybody’s mind about e-commerce is – ‘is it true?’, ‘is there a person or a brand behind it that I can trust?’.
We are now seeing the use of gaming and artificial intelligence in the marketing of certain luxury brands. Gucci, for example, has designed an app that offers a new user experience with live streams, virtual try-ons, and Gucci arcade games. Do you see more brands embracing this marketing approach?
We are shifting from a brand, to a brand universe. They are breaking themselves down into small shards, not trying to be the over-arching entity that they were before. Brands today are knocking at the door saying, “Can I be a part of this world? It seems fun, can we do it together?”. It’s about being humble, the opposite of what it has been before.
In terms of sales though, the market is curious about new digital experiences, but the reality is they only dip their toes in. About one in a hundred actually dig their feet in and buy this way. Gucci, for example, sold one of its bags online as an NFT for more than what it was worth in physical form in the store. That will happen once, because it is fun and easy to memorise, but it isn’t the norm.
What luxury trends do you see for the next 12 to 18 months?
We are going through a trend right now – call it revenge spending or the new normal – but there is a euphoria that is tinged with melancholia. The attitude is: ‘I used to do these things before the pandemic and I want to do them again’.
What’s exciting for me is, as people go back to consuming and buying, they are aware of the parts that they want to leave behind and the parts they want to change. It is a beautiful moment as a marketer and a product innovation professional to look at what is still important and what isn’t. There is a lot of space for brands to innovate their products by simply looking at the rebound, because people are not buying the same way. Even if they are buying from the same store or brand, they are asking differently.
There is also a re-evaluation of price-point versus value. We used to have a more traditional luxury crowd, a meatier entry crowd. This has changed completely. There is much less judgement on the price-point of what you purchase, and more about whether you like it. There’s much more acceptance of you designing your own identity or experiences in a personal way, instead of what is dictated by the masters.
Again, I think this is because consumers have an opportunity to debate things with different groups on a multitude of forums and topics of discussion.
What should luxury brands remain focussed on?
The key is the element of surprise, in the thoughtful nature. Luxury brands still need to retain excellence in every area, but they need to come down and look the customer in the eye and say: ‘And for you, I thought of this…’.
Are these the topics that you cover in your course at the International University of Monaco? What kind of students does it attract?
We always have Italian and French students, and the rest are often from mainland China, Hong Kong and surrounding areas, as well as Thailand, Malaysia, America, Africa, the Middle East and Russia. They tend to come from the biggest luxury cities in the world. They have been exposed to luxury and want to make a business of it. Most come with a very entrepreneurial spirit and want to learn the trade, not only from the shop floor.
The focus is business development for luxury, so what does luxury need for the next 10 years? Every country is in a different stage in the lifecycle of luxury adoption and luxury consumers, so each student brings a different facet and fascination with a topic, which makes every class very interesting.
My approach is highly practical. We look at case studies and what is happening in the world, we analyse it and ask how it could have been done differently or what happens next.
This year will be very interesting, looking at how the pandemic and the new distribution of wealth has changed the luxury industry. The strategies have changed, they have had to, because when everything else in a customer’s life changes, so too should the way that luxury brands communicate with them.
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