<DIV><DIV><DIV><DIV><P>For the first time in twenty years the luxury market is shrinking.&nbsp; Now more than ever we need to understand the role of luxury.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>So, what is real luxury?&nbsp; Once used to describe genuinely sumptuous surroundings or outstanding products, the concept of luxury has been hijacked by a multitude of aspiring or expensive commodities, so that today it is applied to everything from foot spas to instant hot chocolate.&nbsp; Who are the genuine luxury brands, and how have they reacted to the democratization of glamour?&nbsp; What strategies do they use to lift themselves beyond the mere prestige into the realm of the truly elite?&nbsp; Who are their customers, and what kind of lives do these remarkable people lead?&nbsp; How do luxury brands seduce and retain them?</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>With wit, accuracy, and insatiable curiosity, Mark Tungate takes readers on a voyage around the luxury universe, slipping behind the facade of the world's most sophisticated businesses to show the reader how they really function.&nbsp; Among other destinations, the author visits Italian shoemakers, Swiss watch designers, the Champagne houses of France, and the top jewelry designers.</P></DIV>