Tourist destinations and luxury commerce: business opportunities Marı ´a Pilar Martı ´nez-Ruiz University of Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca, Spain Noemı ´ Martı ´nez-Caraballo University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain, and Cesare Amatulli University of Bari, Bari, Italy Abstract Purpose – This work aims to analyze the relationship between a tourist destination and the success of luxury stores. The main objective is to examine whether there is any relationship between different features of a tourist destination and the number of years that a store has been operating there. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyzes a sample of stores located in Venice. A survey was carried out on luxury goods stores in Venice by personally interviewing their managers. Findings – The paper identifies a significant relationship between the number of years that the stores have been operating in the tourist destination and their nationality. Originality/value – Despite the favorable connotations that location in a tourist destination would appear to offer, companies seem to base their general strategy on intangible aspects such as image and brand capital. A number of conclusions and recommendations for managers of luxury stores were obtained from the study. In the light of the minimal impact that contact with other stores and the efforts of local authorities have had so far on the success of these establishments, it may be necessary to make greater efforts in these directions in order to increase their impact. In this respect, both public authorities and private businesses should cooperate in order to provide a coordinated response of town centre management through which the town centre could be better managed and developed. Keywords Fashion, Retailing, Retail trade, Business performance, Tourism, Italy Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Luxury retail trade specializes in selling products with a high added value; it is associated with the sale of one or more prestigious brands and is characterized by a number of aspects that make it unique. The intangible values of the brand that have the biggest influence on the consumer’s decision to buy are related to exclusiveness, prestige and luxury (Dubois and Czellar, 2002). This means all the agents in the distribution channel have to cooperate to construct a strong brand that is capable of generating competitive advantages (Del Rı ´o et al., 2002). Given the above, it is no surprise that companies dedicated to the marketing of luxury products have been keen to find the best strategies for increasing competitiveness and improving their brand value. Some authors (Nueno and Quelch, 1998) have highlighted some of these strategies which include a thorough search and selection process of both the raw materials used and the finished products; a long-standing tradition in the manufacture of designer products; a highly defined style and global recognition and, The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1753-8335.htm Luxury commerce 205 Journal of Place Management and Development Vol. 3 No. 3, 2010 pp. 205-220 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1753-8335 DOI 10.1108/17538331011083943