NATIONAL: Joseph Ribkoff has unveiled a new distribution strategy for Australia, scrapping the licensee model it employed for the past 16 years.
The womenswear label will now sell ‘direct from Canada’ to its Australian and New Zealand stockists. The brand has opened a Melbourne office and hired five agents to service the local market.
Joseph Ribkoff co-presidents John Ferraro and Sandra Morello said the new distribution model was decided upon in mid-2009.
“The principal reason for the change from licensee to Joseph Ribkoff, selling direct from Canada, was our ability to the greatest extent possible to control all aspects of our business,” they told Ragtrader. Changes will include a broadening of the range of Joseph Ribkoff product available to stockists, which include The Wardrobe (WA), Euro Collections (VIC) and Sarah’s of New Farm (QLD).
“In the past, the Australian licensee produced approximately 25 per cent of the range offered by Joseph Ribkoff across the world. With Joseph Ribkoff servicing Australia and New Zealand, we expect to increase that number significantly,” Ferraro and Morello said.
The Quebec-headquartered label will supply collections in line with northern hemisphere seasons, with the first collection available to local stockists under the new distribution strategy being spring/summer 2010.
“Some stockists are already requesting immediate delivery of the range, others are requesting delivery for the spring and summer in Australia and New Zealand,” Ferraro and Morello said.
All Joseph Ribkoff product is produced in Canada and delivery times to Australian stockists are expected to mirror those to European stockists, with an average duration of seven days. Joseph Ribkoff will adhere to the pricing structure established by its former licensee, with average retail price points for the label ranging from A$250 to A$300.
The relinquishing of the licensee model will bring Australia and New Zealand in line with Joseph Ribkoff’s operations in over 40 other countries. A licensee was originally employed in 1994 as Australia and New Zealand “were not considered predominant markets,” Ferraro and Morello revealed.
“...Given the limited resources at the time, we needed to focus on easier, more profitable markets for growth.”
Joseph Ribkoff was established in 1957 and is one of Canada’s leading fashion exporters.
Erin O’Loughlin