Is Luxury Recession-Proof? What the Data Says for Luxury Brands | Webinar with Dr. Frank Müller

Is luxury recession-proof? What happens to luxury demand when GDP rises, stock markets rally, or consumer confidence weakens? In this webinar, Dr. Frank Müller examines what the data actually says about the relationship between macroeconomic indicators, financial markets, and the performance of luxury and premium brands. Drawing on a research project conducted with Malte Bleeker at the Institute of Marketing and Customer Insight (IMC-HSG), University of St.Gallen, this session analyses how 19 macroeconomic and financial-market indicators relate to the revenues of 39 high-end companies over the period from 2001 to 2023. The webinar explores variables such as GDP, disposable income, personal consumption, wealth distribution, consumer confidence, and stock-market indices — and asks whether they are truly useful for forecasting luxury market performance. A central insight of the webinar is that luxury and premium markets often show meaningful long-term correlations with broader economic development, but that these relationships become far less reliable when it comes to short-term and medium-term forecasting. In other words: macroeconomic growth may help explain the broader direction of the luxury market over time, but it is a much weaker guide for annual planning, operational decisions, and brand-specific performance expectations. To make the findings tangible, the webinar takes a closer look at LVMH in the United States and discusses how GDP, personal consumption, and wealth concentration may relate to luxury revenue performance. From there, Dr. Müller broadens the discussion to the future of luxury growth: changing demographics, concentrated wealth, saturation risks, evolving consumer behavior, geopolitical volatility, and the question of whether former growth boosters such as China expansion, line extensions, and digital scale effects can still deliver the same momentum in the years ahead. The session also addresses strategic implications for luxury management, including: luxury market forecasting luxury brand strategy premium brand positioning consumer segmentation in high-end markets demand planning and commercial discipline AI in luxury forecasting and stock planning growth opportunities in India, Southeast Asia, and Africa the pressure on mid-priced premium brands caught between volume and true high-end positioning This webinar is especially relevant for professionals working in: luxury brand management premium and high-end markets luxury marketing and strategy fashion, watches, jewelry, beauty, automotive, and hospitality executive education, consulting, and market intelligence If you work in luxury, premium, or high-end markets and want a more data-based perspective on resilience, growth, volatility, and strategic decision-making, this webinar offers a valuable foundation. Find out more about the Luxury Summer School executive program: https://imc.unisg.ch/en/programs/luxu... About the speaker: Dr. Frank Müller is Founder and CEO of The Bridge To Luxury (TBTL), a consulting firm focused on luxury and high-end goods and services. He has held senior leadership roles with maisons such as A. Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original and is also known for publishing the Luxury Industry Performance Index (LIPI). He is affiliated with the Institute of Marketing and Customer Insight (IMC-HSG) at the University of St.Gallen, where he serves as Director of the Luxury Summer School. If you work in luxury, premium, or high-end markets and want a more data-based perspective on resilience, growth, volatility, and strategic decision-making, this webinar offers a valuable foundation. The webinar was recorded on March 6, 2026. #LuxuryMarketing #LuxuryManagement #LuxuryIndustry #PremiumBrands #BrandStrategy #LuxuryBusiness #HighEndBrands #LVMH #MarketForecasting #UniversityOfStGallen © Institut für Marketing und Customer Insight (IMC-HSG) 2026 Instagram:   / unistgallen.imc   LinkedIn:   / imc-hsg   Website: https://imc.unisg.ch/