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Hugo Boss plans to build on its travel retail in-store success in the men’s area (above) and target the rising number of women business travellers |
GERMANY. Leading fashion house Hugo Boss is preparing one of the travel retail fashion sector’s biggest launches in years – Boss Woman.
The women’s line which has broken into profit in 2004, after a difficult start, is a key element in the German company’s ambitious growth strategy.
Head of Travel Retail Nadine Heubel told The Moodie Report that the line will be introduced into travel retail at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this October with a launch on 18 October.
“In the same way we target businessmen, we are going to target business women – but not just in their business life, also in their leisure time. Our target is to open five new locations for Boss Woman in 2005,” she said.
The range will include suits, skirt suits, tops, shoes, handbags and belts. It will enjoy a similar premium positioning to the existing men’s lines.
Hugo Boss is seeking standalone shops or shop-in-shop opportunities, Heubel said. “It always needs to be new space – we don’t simply want to put it in instead of the men’s range. The launch should add turnover not just substitute it.”
Heubel said the company believed strongly that the concept would succeed in travel retail, based on its rapidly-improving domestic market performance and the rising number of women business travellers.
“Our goal is to open five new locations for Boss Woman in 2005,” said Heubel, “standalone shops and shop-in-shops are both options.”
| Nadine Heubel: “In the same way we target businessmen, we are going to target business women – but not just in their business life, also in their leisure time. Our target is to open five new locations for Boss Woman in 2005” |
Globally the company is hoping to build its women’s business to 30% of overall sales (compared with around 6% today) and Heubel said a similar target is in place for travel retail.
Hugo Boss Chief Executive Officer Dr Bruno Sälzer said that travel retail channel was an increasingly key and successful channel for the company, both for men’s and women’s lines. His interview appears in the next print edition of The Moodie Report, published in October.
NOTICE TO READERS: Are there enough women bosses in travel retail? Or is there a glass ceiling labelled “˜Only men need apply’? Which women have succeeded and why?
To coincide with the launch of Boss Woman in travel retail, The Moodie Report’s Associate Editor, the intriguingly-named Rebecca Mann, considers those questions and the whole subject of gender treatment in a fascinating article in the next issue of The Moodie Report print edition, published in October.
Whether you’re a man or woman, we welcome your views on the subject. Pease e-mail the writer at Rebecca.Mann@moodie-international.com
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