UK. Polaroid has reported a five-fold surge in sales of its polarized sunglasses at World Duty Free outlets over the past year.
The brand attributes this performance partly to the travel retailer’s increasing the number of sales points from 13 to 31. This year saw a further addition, with Polaroid collections being carried at Edinburgh Airport’s new World Duty Free store since January 2010.
Polaroid International Travel Retail Director Chris Knight said: “Four years ago, listing Polaroid sunglasses was seen as a big risk. Our initial breakthrough was with Alpha Retail who agreed to give the brand a test run, initially at a small number of airport sites, but it was seen as a huge gamble at the time.
“I think everyone concerned was really quite amazed at just how well the Polaroid sunglasses sold – it definitely turned out not to be such a risky venture at all. Now, four years later, we’re one of World Duty Free’s best-selling sunglasses brands and are delighted to be adding Edinburgh to our retail outlets this year.”
Polaroid believes one of the reasons for its success has been commitment to staff training.
Polaroid UK Country Manager and Travel Retail Manager Rebecca Harwood Lincoln commented: “We believe very strongly that spending time training sales staff pays dividends. We visit staff at retail outlets once or twice a year to go through the new collections, explain how polarization works and how to test for it, and talk about what styles suit which types of faces. Staff can also win a pair of Polaroid sunglasses so they can see for themselves how great they are.”
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Sales of Polaroid sunglasses jumped five-fold in World Duty Free with the increase in travel retail listings to 31 outlets |
At World Duty Free, Buying Manager Claire Wrigglesworth said: “We have worked in great partnership with Polaroid since first stocking the range four years ago. Our robust launch campaign in Alpha stores offered incentives for staff as well as our customers, a real end-to-end approach.
“The launch was a huge success from the word go. The range continued to evolve and sales continued to grow, so when we integrated the two businesses [World Duty Free and Alpha Airport Shopping] last year it was an obvious brand to roll out across the estate. In my opinion, their success has been driven by quality products at great price points, along with an unprecedented commitment to staff training.”
In the current economic climate, in which some people cannot afford to buy top designer brands, many customers choose Polaroid because of the competitive retail price points, Polaroid said.
The brand added: “Staff also tell us that customers come into the stores asking for polarized sunglasses, as they are so good for driving, and sports such as sailing, cycling and running. As the entire Polaroid range has polarized lenses, staff can confidently refer them to the Polaroid collection.
“A selection of fashionable styles is also available. Indeed, many of the top-selling styles are ladies’ fashion sunglasses, so they are perfect for wearing around town and at the beach – not just for sport.”
About Polaroid
Polaroid Eyewear is a division of StyleMark, said to be the world’s largest mid-tier sunglass company. It serves 80,000 retailers in 67 countries and sells 50 million pairs of sunglasses annually. Polaroid is a pioneer of polarized lens technology; all lenses are made in Scotland.
For details, contact Chris Knight, tel: +44 1462 743780, e-mail: Chris.knight@polaroideyewear.com, or Rebecca Harwood Lincoln, tel: +44 141 416 0787, or e-mail: rebecca.harwoodlincoln@polaroideyewear.com
Visit www.polaroideyewear.com