Definition of “Boutique” in English Originally, only a small dress shop specializing in up-market fashion for selected customers. Then, extended to the financial field to cover “specialist stockbrokers”. Now covers any small specialist company, especially in the financial sector. It would seem that large entities, by definition, cannot be or own a boutique.

INDEPENDENCE is an important aspect which allows : Specialization Specialization Personalization Personalization Decision making Decision making Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship Confidentiality Confidentiality Flexibility Flexibility Continuity of client contact Continuity of client contact

SPECIALISATION While large entities have their specialist departments and have a much wider access than any boutique, the boutique is more effective in producing information and also has access to all the same information as the larger entity. Furthermore, a specialized boutique will receive more client inquiries than a large generalist entity and can charge more, in most cases, because of their “uniqueness”.

PERSONALISATION More attention is paid to individual accounts in a small entity both in terms of personal service and in the professional services offered. In a larger institution there is an unavoidable tendency to categorize and “computerize” the clientele with the effect of losing the individual touch.

DECISION-MAKING A large entity is compelled to lay down policy rules on advisory and decisions, which become procedural. A boutique can react freely and immediately to given situations and because of its small size can apply them speedily. For example, in most investment boutiques, the carrying out of an investment decision and its result can be executed on the spot. In a larger firm, it must pass through one or more departments such as credit, trading, administrative…

ENTREPRENEURSHIP There is much more scope in a small (one man) boutique to investigate new ideas and ways of doing business which is impossible in a large entity with fixed procedures and rules. A larger boutique will start to run into the same kind of problems as a big bank, where free thinking has to be discouraged.

CONFIDENTIALITY A large entity may have to have a minimum of ten to twenty employees having access to all the clients private situations. In a boutique, this is usually reduced to two even one person only and this factor alone is a decision element for clientele.

FLEXIBILITY The large banks make great efforts to meet the extra demands of large customers but this is difficult in the context of a big administrative organisation. Boutiques do not have this problem.

CONTINUITY This is one of the greatest advantages of boutiques – where the customer is assured of continuity in his relationship. It is a statistical fact that boutique employees change less than larger, more impersonal ones. I have had numerous examples of this – on that sticks out significantly – a customer for ten years in a large bank who went through three excellent employees, each of which was promoted before his second meeting. He finally ended up with a permanent one – who did not get promoted because…

Where boutiques should not compete and the advantages of outsourcing. The less a small outfit spreads itself, the more effective its specialist aspect will be. These functions will normally not require expertise but will require trust and coordination with the outsource.

Examples of this are: a) generalist investment advice a) generalist investment advice b) receipt of market information and analysis c) updating of changes in the markets and prices d) marketing e) come back office tasks such as accounting f) increase of the use of regular brokers

But in the fields of boutique investment, it is the banks who increasingly have a problem competing with larger entities. The larger the entity, the greater the requirement of an independent individual. Recognition of this is always slow and the person or individual who does recognise it first has a distinct advantage.

OBJECTIVITY One of the more important, more indefinable and less accepted advantages of a boutique over a large finance company, stockbroker or entity.

OBJECTIVITY A boutique by definition must be independent and not owned or controlled by a larger entity. Especially in finance, this should give it an invisible advantage on advisory as being a free agent in the market and in particular: On structure:- corporate - social On investment: - No conflicts of interest - Choices of broker and bank - Greater discretion - Overall picture e.g. Where there are 2 + bank accounts