Family feud rages as Swarovski empire loses its luster
By Denise Hruby / AFP, WATTENS, Austria
Crystal-studded clouds reflected in a pond, an oversized crystal chandelier surrounded by mirrors: The headquarters of the Swarovski AG crystal empire are every bit as glitzy as one might expect — but the sparkle cannot distract from a bitter family feud over the company’s future.
Normally, 650,000 tourists flock to the site in the town of Wattens in Austria’s mountainous Tyrol region every year, but the COVID-19 pandemic has not only left it deserted — it has also magnified much deeper issues for the company.
Exactly 125 years after founder Daniel Swarovski developed a machine to cut glass to shimmer like diamonds, his great-great grandchildren now reign over a diversified operation — offering rhinestones to fashion brands, binoculars to hunters, and jewelry and crystal figurines of characters from Mickey Mouse to Princess Leia.