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Spotlight | France
Hermès customers tire of jumping through hoops

By Noëmie Leclercq

Published on 13.01.2026 at 06:00 GMT Reading time 5 min

Getting one’s hands on an iconic Hermès handbag has become a lottery, leaving many customers feeling undervalued. © Studio Pachamama

The illustrious house may still be posting strong financials, but stormy weather lurks behind the horizon as customers are feeling increasingly alienated by the brand's highly controlled sales practices.

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In Focus | Hermès
Top hotels struggle to secure Hermès ‘quota bag' appointments for their elite clientèle

One of the time-honoured perks of staying at one of Paris's ultra-luxury hotels was that guests were able to secure an exclusive appointment with Hermès and thereby access the highly sought-after Birkin and Kelly handbags that can be so difficult to buy in-store.

Subscribers only France Entourage 19.03.2026

Though social media is perpetuating the myth, top hotels can no longer guarantee their VIP guests an exclusive Hermès appointment.

Hermès
Changing of the heritage guard in Rue Faubourg-Saint-Honoré

Hermès's head of heritage, Marc Soltz, is due to retire in a few weeks' time and attention is now shifting to his successor in this highly strategic role.

Subscribers only France Houses 17.03.2026

Spotlight
Hermès' best-kept secret: the grey market serving the ultra-rich

The luxury sector is in the doldrums, but the French giant continues to post impressive growth. This resilience is partly due to a distinct market reserved for the happy few and run by hand-picked intermediaries.

Subscribers only France Houses 03.02.2026

Hermès relies on a hand-picked network of intermediaries to guide the spending of its ultra-wealthy clients.

Hermès relaxes its US sales policy under class action pressure

Despite having been dismissed twice, the case filed against Hermès in a Californian court has prompted the luxury goods company to introduce greater transparency into the process of obtaining its most exclusive handbags on the US market.

Subscribers only United States Houses 20.01.2026

Inside the private investment portfolios of the Hermès family

Alongside their joint investment fund Krefeld, created two years ago, the three family branches that own Hermès continue to run their own investment entities.

Subscribers only France Families 16.12.2025

Premium Hermès customers fear missing out on January sale

The invitations to the luxury handbag-maker's traditional New Year private sample sale in Paris are late in coming. This has sparked anxiety among members of its usually pampered community of top-spending customers, who are fearful of losing their privileged access.

Subscribers only France Houses 09.12.2025

Golden Miles
How Hermès made the chic Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré its own

Since first taking up residence in the street in the late 19th century, Hermès has acquired close to a dozen properties in this epicentre of the global luxury sector, located in the heart of Paris.

Subscribers only France Families 13.11.2025

The Hermès family controls close to a dozen properties in the Faubourg-Saint-Honoré neighbourhood, its longstanding stronghold.

Hermès family dividends jump by more than 40%

Three months after Hermès briefly surpassed LVMH in market capitalisation, the Dumas, Puech and Guerrand families, who own 54% of the Faubourg-Saint-Honoré leather goods manufacturer, collectively pocketed a windfall.

Subscribers only France Families 31.07.2025

Hermès battle against internal counterfeiters suffers setback

Five years after getting a group of employees convicted for making fakes of the luxury brand's bags, Hermès has suffered a legal setback after a court ruled against it over its sacking of an employee it accused of failing to denounce the counterfeiting network.

Subscribers only France Houses 10.04.2025

In Focus
The hidden costs of Hermès's model of orchestrated ultra-exclusivity

Hermès, which is due to unveil its 2024 results tomorrow, is weathering the crisis in the luxury goods sector much better than its competitors, thanks in particular to its business model, which is based on the rarity of its bags.

Subscribers only France Houses 13.02.2025

Hermès does all it can to ensure its most iconic models remain in short and much sought-after supply.

Spotlight
How second-hand sales send Hermès bag prices soaring

Manufactured in limited quantities, Hermès's most sought-after bags are at the core of a resale system orchestrated by second-hand luxury retailers, which sell brand-new items as if they had been pre-owned. That practice distorts the market and ramps up prices.

Free access France Entourage 16.05.2024

Among Hermès bags, the Birkin and Kelly models are very popular on luxury consignment platforms.

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Spotlight | France
Hermès customers tire of jumping through hoops

The illustrious house may still be posting strong financials, but stormy weather lurks behind the horizon as customers are feeling increasingly alienated by the brand's highly controlled sales practices.

This article may be accessed by subscribers

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

Create your free account

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Related topics to this article

Read also

In Focus | Hermès
Top hotels struggle to secure Hermès ‘quota bag' appointments for their elite clientèle

Hermès
Changing of the heritage guard in Rue Faubourg-Saint-Honoré

Spotlight
Hermès' best-kept secret: the grey market serving the ultra-rich

Hermès relaxes its US sales policy under class action pressure

Inside the private investment portfolios of the Hermès family

Premium Hermès customers fear missing out on January sale

Golden Miles
How Hermès made the chic Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré its own

Hermès family dividends jump by more than 40%

Hermès battle against internal counterfeiters suffers setback

In Focus
The hidden costs of Hermès's model of orchestrated ultra-exclusivity

Spotlight
How second-hand sales send Hermès bag prices soaring

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Spotlight | France Hermès customers tire of jumping through hoops

The illustrious house may still be posting strong financials, but stormy weather lurks behind the horizon as customers are feeling increasingly alienated by the brand's highly controlled sales practices.

This article may be accessed by subscribers

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

Create your free account

create a free account

Related topics to this article

Read also

In Focus | Hermès Top hotels struggle to secure Hermès ‘quota bag' appointments for their elite clientèle

Hermès Changing of the heritage guard in Rue Faubourg-Saint-Honoré

Spotlight Hermès' best-kept secret: the grey market serving the ultra-rich

Hermès relaxes its US sales policy under class action pressure

Inside the private investment portfolios of the Hermès family

Premium Hermès customers fear missing out on January sale

Golden Miles How Hermès made the chic Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré its own

Hermès family dividends jump by more than 40%

Hermès battle against internal counterfeiters suffers setback

In Focus The hidden costs of Hermès's model of orchestrated ultra-exclusivity

Spotlight How second-hand sales send Hermès bag prices soaring

About Glitz

Subscription

Glitz on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

Spotlight | France
Hermès customers tire of jumping through hoops

In Focus | Hermès
Top hotels struggle to secure Hermès ‘quota bag' appointments for their elite clientèle

Hermès
Changing of the heritage guard in Rue Faubourg-Saint-Honoré

Spotlight
Hermès' best-kept secret: the grey market serving the ultra-rich

Golden Miles
How Hermès made the chic Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré its own

In Focus
The hidden costs of Hermès's model of orchestrated ultra-exclusivity

Spotlight
How second-hand sales send Hermès bag prices soaring