MELBOURNE: UK lingerie giant Eveden Group is steadfastly pursuing the Australian market with expanded product lines and plans to dominate the swimwear sector.
The company, which specialises in size D-plus lingerie and produces labels Freya, Fantasie, Elomi and Fauve, opened a Melbourne-based head office three years ago to facilitate growth. Some labels previously had a smaller local presence via external distributors.
It has since secured 150 to 180 Australian and New Zealand stockists. Its younger, fashion-oriented label Freya was in selected Myer stores, while more mature lines Fantasie and Fauve appeared in selected David Jones stores.
Eveden Australia and New Zealand general manager Janine Fisk said the group had experienced Australian sales growth of 30 per cent each year. “This financial year we aim to overachieve on this target,” she said.
It was now prepared to delve into the lounge apparel market, starting from spring/summer 2010/11 with Freya Lounge. Fisk said it catered for fuller-busted women, with built-in support structures in singlet tops, soft trousers and night dresses.
The lingerie offer had been stepped up to include an expanded size range, with some styles up to a K cup. Last year it introduced Elomi, a luxurious collection for fuller figures. This year it would invest in promotion for the brand.
For swimwear, Eveden Group aimed to be a key player in the sector for labels Freya and Fantasie. It had restructured its approach to offer monthly fashion drops and concentrated collections from July to December.
Fisk said key points of difference were built-in figure support elements and a vast size offer, up to size 18 with J cups for some styles. The company aimed to obtain a department store stockist for each swimwear label this year.
Fisk said 60 to 70 per cent of Eveden Group’s Australian business was made up of replenished stock orders, with the rest comprising indents of fashion-forward garments. It distributes directly from UK warehouses.
“We can send an order from the UK on Thursday and a CBD customer can be signing for the package on Monday or Tuesday,” she said.
Eveden Group brands appear in 30 countries and over 5000 international retailers.
Melinda Oliver