SYDNEY: Womenswear retailer Katies will increase its store network to 200 national locations over the next five years, with a massive refurbishment program also scheduled for 2011.
General manager Sonia Miller said the refurbishment will replace the brand’s six-year-old “chocolate box” retail concept, which featured traditional earth tones, wood finishes, densely stocked floors and exposed metal racks.
The modernised concept will roll out from early 2011 and spread across each of the brand’s 145 outlets as leases come up for renewal. While the concept is still in the final stages of approval, Miller said a recently opened site in Whitford City, Perth, contains early indications of the new format.
Another step closer to the new look will be revealed in the new Charleston, NSW, store on October 15.
These stores feature less racking on shop floors, more open entrances, lighter colourations, destination corners and branded display areas. Miller confirmed these stores were prototypes for the final concept.
“It is definitely a step in the right direction but there are a lot of elements about it that are not perfect, that we are not happy with,” she said. “We are [still] prototyping and designing it. We are going on a journey to get Katies back to being a recognisable brand that really does cater to its ‘forever 40’ woman.”
The retail powerhouse is also planning to increase its store network to 200 national locations over the next five years, with Western Australia eyed as a prime emerging market.
Miller said it represented the biggest growth state for Katies and the new Whitford site was already trading above expectations. Other retail openings scheduled for this year include Airport West and Forest Hill in Melbourne in October and Geraldton, Keperra and Pacific Fair in Queensland in November.
The retail rollout comes on the back of extended product offers, with the launch of Katies Collection into 42 stores from January 2011.
Miller described the offer as an upmarket line, with premium fabrics and trend-driven looks. While a signature Katies dress is priced at around $59.95, a cotton/silk dress from the Katies Collection will retail for $79.95 and be paired with options such as leather jackets and wool coats for $199.
This month, the brand also introduced its Katies Occasion line into stores, with the eveningwear collection comprising eight styles delivered in monthly drops. Prices for the occasion offer are $89 to $129 for dresses, $49 to $69 for tops and $59 to $69 for pants.
Across the classic range, Miller said there was an increased focus on trends.
“There are a lot of brands in the value area that do focus on quite basic product, but women do like to be fashionable, but it has to be body-friendly,” she said.
A new approach to communicating with customers is underway, fueled by the August launch of its e-commerce website. Miller said the site is trading at 20 to 30 per cent above forecast figures, with dresses the strongest selling category to date. The website features style advice videos which will be regularly updated.
“Information is what we want to stand for,” she said. “There are a lot of women over 40 who really know what they like, but their body is now a bit different and they don’t know what they can wear now.”
Key to communication will be email newsletters, which go to 250,000 of the one million customers on its database. A social networking drive is also being considered for the future.
“If you look at a lot of the statistics for Twitter and Facebook, the take up in the over-40s age group is quite large,” she said.
Katies is owned by Specialty Fashion Group, which also runs womenswear brands Millers, Crossroads, Autograph, Queenspark and City Chic.
The company posted a financial year 2009/10 profit of $30.4 million, which was a 35 per cent growth on the previous year. Individual results for Katies were not revealed, however Miller said sales for the brand were “definitely up” on the previous period.
Melinda Oliver