Young-fashion retailers Dorothy Perkins and River Island have launched higher-end collections in an attempt to capture more of their customers’ spend.
Arcadia-owned Dorothy Perkins last week began selling its DP Collection in stores and online with a British rock heritage theme. The range includes jackets, t-shirts and shoes as well as bags and other accessories. The DP Collection is priced between £12 and £120. A second phase of the range will launch in stores in late September.
The move marks the latest departure for Dorothy Perkins, as it has been working on ways to attract more customers to stores including ventures such as trialling different brands instead of just own-brand.
Fashion group River Island has also launched its higher-end collection in stores and online. The apparel range – which comprises two themes: festival and going out – will be merchandised separately in stores and be priced above its main range.
The launches come as New Look prepares to debut its higher-priced rock-inspired range Idol London, which is set to roll out this autumn in selected stores.
Verdict analyst Maureen Hinton said that launching higher-end collections is a good way of making customers trade up. “It is difficult to make people trade up within a brand’s existing price range. If you have a standalone range it is easier to persuade people there is more to it,” she said.
“People are prepared to spend money, they are just being more selective about it and this is a good way of exciting them and persuading them not to go to a more niche retailer.”
However, Hinton warns that retailers must differentiate their premium offers in stores or customers will fail to notice why prices have gone up.
She said that the young-fashion space is still a place where people are prepared to spend money. “Younger people are still willing to spend money on fashion.” Older customers, she said, are still more likely to spend any extra cash on leisure activities, if they splash out at all.
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