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“Puma was established in 1948 with a strong sports heritage. But now we are more than that – Puma is a lifestyle and fashion and sports brand.“ |
Thomas Henningsen Global Travel Retail Manager Puma |
GERMANY. German sports lifestyle company Puma is approaching its travel retail strategy with renewed vigour following the recent appointment of Thomas Henningsen as Global Travel Retail Manager.
One of the industry’s most dynamic and popular figures, Henningsen formerly worked in the travel retail team at Hugo Boss, and most recently held the position of Travel Retail Manager at Danish fashion house Sand.
And now, Henningsen has big ambitions for Puma in travel retail – but first he wants to hammer home a message to his fellow industry players, who, he believes, may still be under the impression Puma is purely a sports brand, as worn by famous sportspeople and footballers such as Pele and Maradona.
Talking to The Moodie Report at the relaxed and friendly Puma offices in London, Henningsen explained: “Puma was established in 1948 with a strong sports heritage. But now we are more than that – Puma is a lifestyle and fashion and sports brand. Today Puma is a modern iconic brand, but we combine sports with fashion and lifestyle, and that is important distinction to make. We endorse the feeling of sports and being active and on the go with a fashion lifestyle.”
You only have to look at Henningsen to understand where the brand is coming from. Dressed in a pair of Puma & Evisu jeans – thanks to Puma’s long-standing collaboration with cult Japanese denim label Evisu – and sleek sneakers stamped with the brand’s signature cat logo, he epitomises the relaxed sporty elegance Puma is fast becoming known for.
Puma’s style credentials are certainly growing apace – French fashion giant Pinault-Printemps Redoute acquired more than 60% of Puma in a takeover earlier this year. And, most recently, Puma’s CEO Jochen Zeitz joined PPR’s Board of Directors, cementing the German brand’s aspirations in the sports fashion world and paving the way for possible exciting collaborations with PPR’s own stable of brands, which includes heavy-hitters Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.
And that’s not all. Henningsen has another key message – and it’s all about global appeal. This is something he believes is crucial in the travel retail arena. “The Puma brand is inclusive,” he enthused. “We have desirable products for everyone, in apparel, footwear and accessories.”
Emphasising the brand’s versatility, he added: “If you’re a travel retailer and you want to carry Puma in your store, we have something for you. We will definitely have products for your passenger mix, whatever it is.”
VIEW THE PUMA SLIDESHOW BELOW:
PUMA FACT FILE: Founded: 1948 by Rudolf Dassler Owner: Pinault-Printemps Redoute (62%) Turnover: €2.8 billion in 2006 (target: €4 billion by end of 2010) Distribution: 80 countries (led by Europe, Middle East, North America, Asia Pacific and South America, respectively) Products: Apparel, footwear, accessories Fashion and design collaborations: Evisu (jeans), Jil Sander (footwear), Alexander McQueen (footwear), Philippe Starck (footwear), Christy Turlington (apparel and footwear), Yasuhiro Mihara (footwear), Lydia Hearst (handbag) Airport shops: Vienna Airport (two freestanding stores); Munich (shop-in-shop); Madrid (freestanding store), Buenos Aires (shop-in-shop) |
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Henningsen believes Puma’s diverse collections can compete on three different levels:
1) Sports performance
2) Lifestyle
3) High-end fashion.
So, if a store requires upscale fashion, the buyer would select the Rudolf Dassler by Puma fashion collection (recently shown on the catwalk to great acclaim at Berlin Fashion Week) and the Puma by Alexander McQueen footwear range created by the well-known British fashion designer. Next to Puma’s design collections buyers can also select from the broad Sportlifestyle collection range.
Puma in travel retail
The world of travel products is another area Puma is beginning to home in on. The brand aims to combine fashion and globe-trotting in a new travel accessories collection called Urban Mobility, launched in May 2007 in fashion-forward London department store Selfridges. Featured in glossy magazines – including the likes of style bible Italian Vogue – the range is aimed at a younger, upwardly mobile audience.
Products include cabin bags, messenger bags and travel wallets, all crafted in a Puma-developed black nylon that doesn’t need a separate lining inside – any marks can be wiped off. The bags all have a signature wooden trim, enabling them to keep their shape. There’s even a specially developed travel belt called the X-Ray belt which enables the wearer to go through airport security without taking it off, thanks to its striking wooden buckle.
Since early 2006, Puma has enjoyed an airport presence with five points of sale: Vienna (two freestanding stores), Munich (one shop-in-shop), Madrid (one freestanding store) and Buenos Aires (one shop-in-shop), ranging in size from 30-50sq m to 160sq m.
Regionally, Henningsen’s initial travel retail focus will be on Europe and Asia Pacific, where negotiations are already under way to open additional airport shops.
On the current airport store product mix, Henningsen said: “The current travel retail mix differs from shop to shop. Having said that, it does tend to be led by apparel, followed closely by footwear and accessories. The last two categories tend to fight for second place.”
In particular, Henningsen sees great potential in travel retail for apparel, particularly impulse-buy T-shirts and sweaters.
It seems only a matter of time before the Puma brand takes a giant leap forward in the travel retail arena.
For details, contact Thomas Henningsen, Global Travel Retail Manager, Puma AG, Wuerzburger Strasse 13, 91074 Herzogenaurach, Germany, tel. +49 9132 81 2143, fax: +49 9132 81 2296, e-mail Thomas.Henningsen@puma.com Visit www.puma.com
