TY - JOUR AB - Purpose– The paper seeks to explore the phenomenon of the flagship store from the perspective of brand management and brand context within the luxury furniture sector.Design/methodology/approach– Adopts a case‐study approach, focusing upon Milan‐based furniture manufacturer and retailer B&B Italia and comprises interview derived data and archive material.Findings– Recognises the difficulty associated with manufacturing/product‐orientated organisations to establish a brand context. It identifies that the forward integration of luxury manufacturing companies into retailing, through the establishment of flagship stores provides such companies with an opportunity to provide a context for their brand and exercise a level of control over its manifestation that is difficult to achieve through other distribution channels.Research limitations/implications– Highlights the value of forward integration as a means of establishing brand context and experience.Originality/value– Demonstrates the wider value of the flagship store as a brand management device and the potential contribution to brand communication for non‐retail based organisations. VL - 36 IS - 7 SN - 0959-0552 DO - 10.1108/09590550810880589 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/09590550810880589 AU - Doyle Stephen A. AU - Moore Christopher M. AU - Doherty Anne Marie AU - Hamilton Morag PY - 2008 Y1 - 2008/01/01 TI - Brand context and control: the role of the flagship store in B&B Italia T2 - International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 551 EP - 563 Y2 - 2024/03/28 ER -