Mary Portas take on dying High St's

dopester

Count_Dante wrote: »

People who shop in Abercrombie & Fitch deserve to be ripped off, and Abercrombie & Fitch deserves to go bust.

Ripped off? The people buying are choosing to buy - even if you disagree with them spending a lot more money on premium brands.

They are the type of customers an independent wouldn't mind tapping - if they could persuade them to. People willing to pay a premium even today.

It is like Pobby said... "When we saw the stock in Johns shop a couple of things stood out. Firstly there was no really high price ticket items. The odd guitar or drum kit at a £1,000 plus can make the week." Whereas if you're grubbing around with all low-ticket items, with low margin, you might be lucky to turn a profit.

Not being ripped off but customers taking pleasure in buying in a brand backed by all the powerful marketing messages they invest in. Also some style that appeal to their target customers.

Even if it is cheap materials in some lines.. which other companies are also guilty of (GAP and M&S come to mind) - I can see why they do that.. provided the item has style... wear-out and buy again/replace sooner with latest style.

Whatever your thoughts about "value" - because your "value customers" might not want, or be able to, spend at all. If you're positioning yourself solely on value the competition is intense, and the profit-margins lower. You've got competition against so many value retailers (Primarki, BHS... all the others in the real world - the market stalls, independent shops, ebay, online retailers, jumble sales).

Although premium brands also have similar intense competition too.. and some will surely fail.

Most Northern Americans and Western Europeans today own many more clothes than ever before. In a real depression, spending on fashion could tumble. Money spent on clothing, accessories, and jewellery plunged by more than 50 percent in the 1930s. Not only did spending fall, but the percentage of income devoted to clothing purchases fell by 18 percent.

Personal spending for clothes today is many times higher in absolute terms. It is hard to know whether this means there is more slack in the system to cushion any fall, or whether there is a much greater distance to the bottom. In any event, it would take many years before most people would physically wear out the clothes they now have in their closets. Spending on personal care items fell by 40 percent in the 1930s - another field that is more glutted at today's higher standard of living than it was in 1929. The same goes for gadgets and gift items. Gift shops will be a bad business to be in.

[fc123 - standby for PM]

dopester

Also this half-caught my eye the other day.. lot of celebs in what appears to be a fashion brought back in to style... ripped jeans.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1195450/What-rip-Kate-Beckinsale-joins-torn-denim-brigade-80s-tattered-jeans-costing-1-000-pair.html

Does it like reflect the economic situation... which fashion and music follows - or sometimes leads before the real bad stuff hits.

Sort of fashion wanting to blend in to how the mainstream have got it.. but those with money willing to pay the premium to do so, but feeling more comfortable in themselves their distressed look is actually premium designer.

A similar patter was played out in Latin America during the 1980s. People who could no longer afford haircuts stopped going to the barber. Eventually, they bought scissors or clippers and cut one another's hair. Or just let their hair grow. They may have looked silly but that matters less when everyone else looks silly too.

I'm thinking that even footballers of the day back then (with money-to-spend) were part of the mainstream trend, and thus adapted fashion, with longer hair. Same with Poland during the 90s (maybe) with many a footballer having a mullet look (IIRC).

Didn't see that ITV prog (Spain) with top-end hairdresser... but I'd imagine the top-end hairdressers, charging premium, who manage to keep high-end clients on their books, have a better chance of survival than many a low-end budget hairdresser.

fc123

Count_Dante wrote: »

Take a read of this about Abercrombie & Fitch, in the news because some law student is taking them to court for discrimination:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8118941.stm
So Primark quality at princely prices. This place sounds like the arsiest clothes shop in the whole planet. Read what one of the commenters (Luke) had to say:
Shipwrecked is a truly hateful program, filled with upper middle class big Big Brothers rejects. The very existence of these people is enough to incite class warfare.

People who shop in Abercrombie & Fitch deserve to be ripped off, and Abercrombie & Fitch deserves to go bust.

OK I am going above the parapet on this one.

A+ F is a stroke of marketing genius. I took DD there (14 at the time) and she went gaga. I was gaga at the shop fit and the very clever lighting.
I did show myself up as their vests are made in Vietnam (and marked clearly as such) and, as she was oooghing asnd aaaghing, I was the grump saying '''pffft, it's made in Vietnam @ 50p ax factory humph etc etc) and I am not paying £30 for one.

Sons gym buddie works the door there. Good pay and he only has to look good..his body is his temple........so it's a good part time uni job for some.

fc123

Count_Dante wrote: »

People who shop in Abercrombie & Fitch deserve to be ripped off, and Abercrombie & Fitch deserves to go bust.

It's unlikely they will go bust as their margins are huge.

However, at some point in time they will go off trend and die a slow death. The day when the fake retro preppy USA look becomes a badge of non style and uncool.

It will happen, but no-one knows when.

Its a tribal thing too...fashion knits together that tribalism/ID thingy people have. We have always had it.

A+F is just another tribe thing. Like Jack Wills. Like Nike, Like Primark. Like M+S. Many cross over tribes but different core tribe looks are always there.

fc123

dopester wrote: »

Also this half-caught my eye the other day.. lot of celebs in what appears to be a fashion brought back in to style... ripped jeans.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1195450/What-rip-Kate-Beckinsale-joins-torn-denim-brigade-80s-tattered-jeans-costing-1-000-pair.html

Does it like reflect the economic situation... which fashion and music follows - or sometimes leads before the real bad stuff hits.

Sort of fashion wanting to blend in to how the mainstream have got it.. but those with money willing to pay the premium to do so, but feeling more comfortable in themselves their distressed look is actually premium designer.

I'm thinking that even footballers of the day back then (with money-to-spend) were part of the mainstream trend, and thus adapted fashion, with longer hair. Same with Poland during the 90s (maybe) with many a footballer having a mullet look (IIRC).

Didn't see that ITV prog (Spain) with top-end hairdresser... but I'd imagine the top-end hairdressers, charging premium, who manage to keep high-end clients on their books, have a better chance of survival than many a low-end budget hairdresser.

Ripped jeans. This look comes and goes. I recall my grandmother telling me off in the late 80's for having holes in my jeans(second hand 501's at the time).
We imported old 501's during the late 80's and did a killing as the manufacturers hadn't developed the art of acid wash/distressing back them.
Only solution was to import from textile waste guys in USA who bought in from Levis used jeans. Levis ran a promo refunding a dolllar (or $5?) for your old Levis when one bought a new pair. Then Nick Kayman ad came along and you could only get the look from people like us.
Levis didn't resell the used jeans ever.


I have turned old jeans into skirts over 10 years back...became a very mainstream look...still going on today.....made them into bags, dresses cushion covers ..you name it, I have made and sold it at some point.


Manufacturing caught up in the noughties and we used to stock branded goods..branded ripped jeans. I made own label ripped tees to match @ £30 a pop.

The Trend is back now..but mainly to get youngsters to abandon the pristine new jeans and buy something new. It all comes and goes in cycles....to keep the consumer wanting to consume.

Anyone over 25 on the board isn't going to buy into it, but much disposable income is with the young....and that's what is keeping the stores manufacturers going.

With respect, your average 50yr old man isn't going to contribute much to the fashion + clothing business/High St in spending terms.

treliac

fc123 wrote: »

It all comes and goes in cycles....to keep the consumer wanting to consume.

And that's what it's all about.

dopester

fc123 wrote: »

A+ F is a stroke of marketing genius. I took DD there (14 at the time) and she went gaga. I was gaga at the shop fit and the very clever lighting.

fc123 wrote: »

We imported old 501's during the late 80's and did a killing as the manufacturers hadn't developed the art of acid wash/distressing back them.
Only solution was to import from textile waste guys in USA who bought in from Levis used jeans. Levis ran a promo refunding a dolllar (or $5?) for your old Levis when one bought a new pair. Then Nick Kayman ad came along and you could only get the look from people like us.
Levis didn't resell the used jeans ever.

fc123 wrote: »

Was thinking about living lots of different experiences within my sector, going on a pro writing course then flogging a 'How to' book or similar. Perhaps a novello instead?

Your stories, thoughts and experience in the fashion world are always very good reading. That jeans one.. must have been great times, with you having cleverly worked an angle to be a few steps ahead of ahead of your main UK competitors. The book doesn't sound a bad idea at all. Experiences / tips / independent fashion-industry survival guide.

Pobby

Back to the real world of retailing and I would say, right now, margins are being eroded. I guess if you are a " shed ", B and Q, Morrisons and the like, you may well be OK. The real problem I see is the independent. Some have formed buying groups, Ok if members have cash at the time but my guess is that they are difficult to control.
However, everyone is a " business man " (E-bay), just another form of retailing, if you have the cash then you can buy and sell.

Who`s heard of drop shipping? You need little cash for that, just a high traffic web site. It goes like this. Product advertised on the website. Billy Punter orders, you contact the supplier and he delivers directly to the purchaser. You have already received the payment. Most companies give 30 days credit. No cash outlay. In 30 days time you pay the supplier, job done. With a decent site you can make a fair bit of cash doing this.

Having " bricks and mortar " retailing for years, I am really glad I am not doing that now.

Snooze

Pobby wrote: »

Who`s heard of drop shipping? You need little cash for that, just a high traffic web site. It goes like this. Product advertised on the website. Billy Punter orders, you contact the supplier and he delivers directly to the purchaser. You have already received the payment. Most companies give 30 days credit. No cash outlay. In 30 days time you pay the supplier, job done. With a decent site you can make a fair bit of cash doing this.

. It's clear you've never done it Pobby. I suggest you do some research and then some more and you'll quickly see it is nothing like 'they' would have you believe.

Rob

Pobby

Snooze wrote: »

. It's clear you've never done it Pobby. I suggest you do some research and then some more and you'll quickly see it is nothing like 'they' would have you believe.

Rob

Tell me a bit more Please Snooze. I am interested. Sounds like you have experience in this field.