The Pier, retailer of homewares and furniture from far-flung places, is paving the way for growth, with a wave of marketing and promotional activity.
Circulation of the retailer's autumn/winter catalogue is being increased to encourage dormant customers to return to the fold. The Pier is also running a spend-and-save promotion for the first time, offering shoppers£10 off for every£50 spent in stores.
New window treatments will also be introduced across the 28-store chain to create a stronger promotional message, as well as to better spotlight product.
Pier managing director Alison Richards said the retailer's recovery was on track, with sales up 50 per cent on a like-for-like basis compared with four years ago.
'We broke even in this past year (to February) and as we add stores, we should start to make a profit,' she said.
The 140-page autumn/winter catalogue, built around the themes of Spice Route and Imperial Russia, will hit doormats on August 6.
A multi-channel approach is helping The Pier drive furniture sales, with the category accounting for 75 per cent of direct sales and an even greater percentage of Internet sales.
An expansion target of 75 to 100 UK stores has been set for the Pier 1-owned chain.
Several openings are already in the pipeline, including the MetroCentre's new Red Mall, which opens in October, and a second concession in Irish department store chain Roches.
- Profile: page 12.
No comments yet