NOOSA: An aggressive store roll out campaign and the release of its first 'fashion forward' collection are just some of the changes Secrets is implementing as it marks its 10th birthday.
The owner and managing director of the jewellery and accessories brand, Jane Meredith, revealed she is looking to redress Secrets' 'underexposure' in NSW over the coming 12 months.
She will bolster her existing three Sydney sites with a new Bondi Junction store, due to open in August. The brand will also open a boutique in the new Sydney Westfield development in November.
Meredith said a desire to have an “iconic location” in Sydney's CBD was behind the Westfield Sydney investment, though she also plans to expand heavily into Sydney's western suburbs.
“Definitely Parramatta, we're thinking Penrith, we're also looking at the Central Coast at the moment and probably another northern site,” Meredith revealed.
“I think anywhere between 35 to 45 stores across Australia would give us critical mass.”
Secrets' presently has 17 stores in Australia and three stores in New Zealand.
Also earmarked for September is the release of Secrets' first complete 'fashion' collection. The company hired a product development consultant to “challenge us to step into that next level”, Meredith said.
“The spring/summer collection is our first launch of being a little bit more fashion orientated and seasonal than we have been in the past. Primarily, it's very geared towards colour. We do do colour stones in our range but we haven't focused on a season colour range before,” Meredith explained.
“We've chosen colours of the season and it's big and it's bold . It's gorgeous chequerboard cuffs and lovely bangles, heavy matching colour pendants and sleek, long earrings.”
The product consultant responsible for the spring/summer 2010/11 collection is also now researching Secrets' possible expansion into what Meredith terms “emotional products”.
“Where a man might be able to walk in and buy a piece of jewellery that 100 per cent says, 'thank you for having my baby', something along those lines,” Meredith said.
“It's like the baby ring or the baby present. Things like that we want to be more clearly defined on, that have that built-in emotional message for the couple.”
Also in the pipeline is an expansion into international markets including Canada, the US and Asia, though Meredith emphasised the plans were on hold until mid-2011.
“We're just sitting in the safety zone at the moment...” Meredith explained. “It's not about getting where you're getting fast, it's about doing it right.”
The changes come on the back of Secrets' 2009 branding overhaul, unveiled last November. Modifications included the introduction of the branding platform 'Diamond simulants are the new real' as well as the introduction of flower brand icons.
Meredith explained the reasons for the overhaul.
“...We had been apologising for being a simulated diamond for a long time. It was almost like, 'Well, we're nearly as good as a diamond!'”
“What we got down to [via working with brand consultants] was understanding the belief of our business is that women should be able to feel confident without wearing diamonds,” Meredith said.
“What we're working on now with the rebranding process is getting that message out to women.”