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| GERALD DAREL |
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Favoured by the stars of screen and catwalk, French fashion
retailer Gerard Darel
has introduced its collection in more than 40 countries, with
a retail network of approximately 200 doors, including own-stores,
franchises and department store concessions. The company is
also a wholesaler, distributing in over 1,000
speciality stores.
The brand is continuing its expansion in France, whilst also
launching new stores in
Abu Dhabi and its first stores in Russia. It is also continuing
to open stores throughout each of territories in which it operates,
such as Korea, Lebanon, Jordan, Portugal and South Africa.
The company aims to open 30 stores in 2009. “We decided
to open company-owned and operated stores in five countries
— France, the UK, Spain, Belgium and Italy,” says
company CEO Laurent Darel. “Elsewhere, we have taken the
decision to work with local partners who operate the brand in
terms of marketing, distribution and of course staff and brand
management. |
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“It
is vital to find the right strategic partner for the brand,
their local knowledge is so important. The key to any store’s
success lies in the daily execution — having the
right merchandise at the right time, having well-trained and
enthusiastic staff and maintaining the right presentation.”
In addition to the brand’s growth in Russia, Darel has
larger plans for expansion, keeping an eye on the growth potential
of existing markets whilst continuing to assess
‘new’ territories.
“We have launched the brand in a lot of new territories
recently and are currently focused on that,” he explains.
“These are huge countries and we need to give them our
undivided attention in order to increase brand awareness and
further develop our stores there. Of course, we intend to open
stores in many more countries.”
The Gerard Darel flagship remains the Boulevard Saint-Germain
store in Paris, which holds a special place in the heart of
everyone at the company.
“The company was established in 1971 and we mainly supplied
wholesale to speciality and department stores,” explains
Darel. “In 1987 we decided to open our store on the Boulevard
Saint-Germain on the Left Bank, which is a perfect location
for us and is still the most successful store in our portfolio.”
Location, as they say, is everything and Gerard Darel has very
specific requirements in that regard; there must be a very good
brand environment, first and foremost, with a high proportion
of ‘upscale’ brands in the vicinity. However, the
brand seeks high footfall, so there should also be a good representation
of medium- to high-end retailers. A good location, says Darel,
would be London’s Kings Road and Marylebone High Street,
which both present a good brand environment without the exclusivity
(and reduced traffic) of, for instance, Bond Street. |
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But are consumers
in this ‘mid-market’ spending, what effect has the
credit crunch had and how is the brand facing these challenging
times?
“There is an old saying that ‘retail is detail’,”
says Darel. “If you are performing a little better than
your competition then you can defend your position, that is
how we approach the situation. We are investing in training
for our staff, improving our proposition and, of course, the
product and price range are key.” |
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“It
is true too that a brand must retain its vitality; we never
assume that when we introduce a new line it will work by itself,
we always acknowledge what has been successful in the past and
we have a lot of respect for the brand DNA — a unique
balance of both timeless and modern styling.”
This is evidenced in the brand’s popularity with celebrities;
when you see Monaco princess Charlotte Casiraghi and Christina
Onassis carrying Gerard Darel bags, you know that it is due
to its quality and attractiveness, and not the fact that the
product offers value for money.
“There are a lot of actresses wear our products, Angelina
Jolie, Eva Longoria, Cameron Diaz and a lot of other celebrities,
but the significance for me is seeing that these people, people
who can afford anything, are enjoying the Gerard Darel experience,”
Darel enthuses.
For the full article please see the RLI
October 08 issue |
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Paramount
Publications Ltd Suite 15, Hardmans Business Centre, New
Hall Hey Road, Rawtenstall BB4 6HH UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1706 212200 Fax: +44 (0) 1706 211782 Email:
info@rli.uk.com
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