Samsonite to launch e-commerce sites

LONDON Samsonite Group will launch its new e-commerce Web site offering customers the opportunity to browse and purchase the company’s products online, the luggage maker said Friday.

The first part of the Web site to launch will be the Samsonite Black Label eCommerce store. The site ( samsoniteblacklabel.com )will be offering consumers a range of Samsonite Black Label products. The products available on the Web site feature an array of collections, including a line of Black Label products by Alexander McQueen.

Initially, the Black Label Web site will be available to consumers in the U.S. and Canada this month, company officials said. The site will be made available to Europe and Asia to access by early next year.

The company also intends to globally launch of the eCommerce store for the general Samsonite label, which will bring around five thousand products online worldwide by July 2008.

"The creation of a first rate e-commerce Web site is a key pillar in the development of our Global Retail Strategy,” said President and ceo Marcello Bottoli. “We fully expect that the Web site will play a vital role in the acceleration of our retail offer."