The network of multi-brand stores of shoes, bags and accessories Rendez-Vous has decided to expand the range, adding products of the "clothing" category. Market participants believe that changing the format entails certain risks.
The first clothing brand to appear on shoe shelves will be Levi's jeans products. Starting from March 28 of 2019, clothes of this brand will be available in the online store of the network and in the Rendez-Vous store in the Fashion Season trademark. According to a company press release, over time, the range of women's, men's and children's clothing will expand, it will be supplemented by brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Ash, TBS, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, MM6 and others.
“The main goal of Rendez-Vous has always been to provide a wide range of products for customers so that everyone who visits the store can find something to their liking. On the shelves of our network you can find a pair for both forty thousand rubles and four; both world famous brands and young, conceptual brands. Over time, we came to the decision to purchase clothes in order to fully satisfy the demand of our customers ”- comment on the decision at Rendez-Vous.
Rendez-Vous is not the first retail operator in the Russian footwear market to decide to go beyond the shoe retail format. So, the company "Shoes of Russia" a couple of years ago, she decided to expand the range of her retail stores, adding clothes and other related products to them. Now, the collection of clothes in Shoe Russia stores already has 200 SKU, the share of clothes in retail sales in the first quarter reached 20%, the share of related products - 38%.
According to Econika Network Marketing Director Irina Zueva, an attempt to expand the range by supplementing his clothes was once made in the network of shoe stores "Econika". “In our three stores in support of the capsule collection of shoes with designer Alena Akhmadulina, we sold TM Akhmadullina Dreams clothes, but I can’t say that this somehow significantly affected the growth in sales in these stores,” she says. - Despite the fact that the expansion of the assortment due to related product categories in fashion retail seems like a natural process, the consumer is still getting used to a certain format. It must be borne in mind that each product has its own specifics. The inclusion of a new product category is partly an entry into a new market in which the company must understand and have all the necessary competencies both in terms of procurement or production, and in terms of sales. Expanding an adjacent category may require the involvement of a new buyer who works specifically with clothing. Another important point is how to integrate a new product in a store with existing equipment and present it as profitable as possible from the point of view of merchandising. As well as how to adjust the work of personnel who was sharpened by the sale of shoes and accessories. In general, there are certain risks. Time will tell how much the new assortment will be in demand by the brand’s customers. ”
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