Luxury firsts to head for Oz
The Singapore based Club 21 group - which turns 35 this year - runs offices, retail operations and hotels across Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, US, UK and has set up base in Australia.
The company, which also owns a comprehensive range of luxury brand licenses, has revealed plans to kick off its long term Australian strategy with the first-time retail launch of Calvin Klein ?bridge? brand cK Calvin Klein and the retail expansion of Armani ready-to-wear brand Armani Exchange (AX).
Other top-end brands in the Club 21 stable with potential for Australian expansion include DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Mulberry, Luella, Jil Sander, Comme des Garcons and Easton Pearson.
Speaking exclusively to Ragtrader , Club 21 Australia general manager Michelle Curtis - who has been preparing the company for its Australian rollout from her Melbourne office since October 2005 - said the long term plan was to achieve a strong presence of both AX and cK Calvin Klein in all major Australian cities.
The plan would kick off with the opening of two cK Calvin Klein stores and one AX store every year until 2011, she said. Australia?s first cK Calvin Klein store will open in Melbourne?s CBD by mid-year, followed by a further Melbourne store before year end.
With a brand position described as ?sexy, urban, youthful and trend-aware,? cK Calvin Klein?s target customer was represented by young, modern-minded men and women seeking a more sophisticated style at more accessible prices, Curtis said.
Meanwhile, ready-to-wear brand AX ? created in 1991 and geared towards younger customers ? had a strong offering of urban products including tees, jeans, polos and sports coats and was also the most affordable of the Armani lines. The label, which burst onto the scene at L?Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival last month, has had a small presence in Australia since the 1990s but would see a considerable boost to its market penetration.
Like cK Calvin Klein and AX, further Australian rollouts of Club 21 brands would be cherry ?Around two per cent of the Australian population earns more than $100,000, but there are a lot of consumers in that mid-market bracket that will find strong appeal at the more affordable ?bridge brand? end of the luxury spectrum, so we?ll be concentrating on those brands.?
The company hoped to entice Australian consumers with in-store and front window promotions rather than above the line campaigns, she said, adding strong brand recognition and personalised customer service would also be an irresistible draw card. Club 21?s decentralised structure would allow the Australian office to employ local market knowledge, while benefiting from an organisational reach providing access to global currents of influence, Curtis said.
"Our mission is to deliver international labels to the Australian market at competitive prices. Having the financial backing of globally recognised brands and the multiple international channels they?re selling through is undoubtedly key to our ability to do so."