Page 18 - RLI July / August 2019

Timeless development team is headed up “In the past year we’ve had some
The Charles Tyrwhitt product
good international growth, the
by Spencer Riley in the London
office, and he is consistently
UK has been tougher with all the
talking to manufacturers and
uncertainty in the country at the
analysing the market for current
Style and future trends, assessing moment, but overall we’ve held
what the customer wants now,
steady in the market”
and predicting what they will
want in 18 months’ time.
Recent examples of new products and initiatives are the
stretch and cool products which came about from their time
looking at the athleisure market, and the stretch and cool
products are designed to help people feel comfortable and
allow them to stay cool when it’s hot in summer. The offer
under both of these banners has expanded and will continue
to do so over the coming months.
Kingsnorth feels the advent of social media offers the
company a great opportunity to have a conversation with
its customers and it is a mix of their marketing mix, albeit a
much more important part than it was five years ago.
“We are planning to put more effort into it as it becomes
more important in our customers lives and it’s a great
channel for us to talk about the fantastic products that we’ve
got on offer,” explains Kingsnorth.
A key differentiator for Charles Tyrwhitt is the product
quality and offer, according to Kingsnorth. The product quality
is second to none, and the fit and multiple fits that they can
offer mean customers will get a great quality product that’s
going to fit them perfectly.
The company can hold many more sizes in its warehouse
than you can fit in say, a 2,000sq ft store so customers can
MADISON AVENUE STORE get products delivered to home from the store if their size is
New York, US
not currently in stock.
And finally, what lies ahead for the company?
Charles Tyrwhitt endeavours to produce the finest whatever channel they want to operate in, in a seamless a
“We want to make sure we’re serving our customers in
menswear that never compromises on quality. Added to way as possible and offer a fantastic quality product at the
best price,” concludes Kingsnorth.
this is an exemplary level of customer service, fantastic

prices and a product that is built to last. Here, RLI speaks
with CEO Luke Kingsnorth to discuss the past, present
and future of the brand.

wner Nicholas Charles Tyrwhitt Wheeler; Six new stores have been opened in the US in the last year
started the brand back in 1986 because he felt as the company gains a foothold in the American market. New
he could make a better shirt than anyone else. locations have opened in Houston, Philadelphia, a second location
OSince its origins 33 years ago, the company has opened in Chicago, two stores around the suburbs of New York
made a commitment to ensure all its menswear is designed and the first outlet store opened in Wrentham, Massachusetts.
for longevity, using only the finest materials sourced from While store growth may have been US centric recently, the
every corner of the globe, as well as local producers from company has still launched an additional two outlet stores in the UK.
here at home in Britain. Outside of these core locations, the brand’s other key
Through the years the business has expanded from this markets are Germany, Australia, Canada and Ireland, and while
core product of shirts to include everything from formal they do not have any physical presence in these countries, they
shirts to separates, suits and shoes along with a casual have a successful and direct online business.
collection, knitwear and accessories. Looking forward, there are two main development goals for
Today the company operates 41 stores in total, 27 of these Charles Tyrwhitt. The first of these is product development.
are in the UK, with 13 in the US and one in Paris, France. “The focus over the next 12 months will be about relaunching
“In the past year we’ve had some good international our trousers range, expanding our range of separate’s jackets
growth, the UK has been tougher with all the uncertainty and business casual shirts to hep cater to this changing trend of
in the country at the moment, but overall we’ve held what people are wearing to work,” says Kingsnorth. “The other
steady in the market,” explains Luke Kingsnorth, CEO of development arm is focused on brand positioning, so we are doing
Charles Tyrwhitt. “In terms of the perception of the brand, a lot of work on our creative execution and how we portray
we’ve done a lot of work on improving this and focusing these fantastic products. We are looking at the website design, the
on the product quality and value proposition, and there is catalogues, our point-of-sale materials in store and everything else
more to come in this field in the coming 12 months.” that communicates these products to our customers.”

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