A small, up-and-coming luxury consumer brand is looking to expand its market presence. The brand's identity is very much defined by selling high-end, premium consumer products through brick-and-mortar stores using a small, direct sales team that prides itself on providing stellar customer service during the sales process. Company management realizes that the demand for its products is high enough that it will lose revenue opportunities if it doesn't expand its sales channel (distribution channel). At the same time, management worries about maintaining the culture and service quality if the sales channel expands through indirect distribution, such as through the addition of retail partners.
1. How would you recommend that this brand expand its distribution?
2. Given the characteristics of this brand, what intensity of distribution makes the most sense, and why?