April 12, 2013
Sears Creates Clothing Business With Star Power
For those about to frock, we salute you! Earlier this week, Sears Holdings announced it had created a new business unit, Shop Your Way Brands, focused on fashion and lifestyle brands with an entertainment dynamic. The initial focus includes new clothing collections from Adam Levine (lead singer Maroon 5, actor and judge on NBC’s The Voice) and Nicki Minaj (rapper and judge on American Idol).
"Shop Your Way Brands will offer exciting new merchandise reflecting the authentic personal style of iconic artists from the worlds of music and entertainment," said Eddie Lampert, chairman and chief executive officer of Sears Holdings, in a statement. "We’ve already seen tremendous initial fan enthusiasm about the Adam Levine and Nicki Minaj apparel lines on ShopYourWay.com, with thousands of members following Adam and Nicki long before their products are available."
Bernt Ullmann, president and CEO at Star Branding, will lead the new venture for Sears Holdings. The former president of Phat Fashions works with partners including Tommy Hilfiger, Andy Hilfiger and Joe Lamastra.
"Our proven ability to create compelling entertainment based lifestyle brands combined with Adam Levine and Nicki Minaj’s significant talent, and Sears Holdings’ visionary position in retail and online communities create a powerful fashion proposition for the consumer," said Mr. Ullmann.
![[Image: Adam Levine]](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxIDEiIHdpZHRoPSIxIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjEiIGRhdGEtdT0iJTJGcHVibGljJTJGaW1hZ2VzJTJGZGlzY3Vzc2lvbnMlMkYxNjcwMyUyRmFkYW0tbGV2aW5lLXN0aWxsLmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSIxIiBkYXRhLWg9IjEiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==)
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Has Sears Holdings found the right path to fashion success with its new Shop Your Way unit? What do you think about Sears’ association with Star Branding?
Poll
It’s worth a try. If celebrities can deliver innovative and stylish new clothing lines to Sears, and if Sears can correctly capitalize on this celebrity cachet, it may bring consumers into their stores. If handled well, it can be a win for Sears and the celebrities.
It’s not that this isn’t a good idea, it’s just that it’s not nearly enough to save what is no longer a sustainable retail concept. Generalist department stores who are stuck between the middle and ‘nowhere’ are being out-retailed by everyone around them. Better selection, better service, better convenience, better pricing (higher and lower), better store design, better merchandising, etc. in most other specialist retail stores.
It’s not that the senior and mid management teams at these department stores aren’t bright (in fact, some of the brightest retail minds I know work for some of them). It’s just that the concept doesn’t fly for most consumers any more.
Shop Your Way Brands is a brilliant concept. It has already established a solid online presence through ShopYourWay.com and I look forward to watching how the physical store branding evolves.
Today, retailers have to embrace a virtual and physical presence that is authentic, relevant and dynamic. I think ShopYourWay.com works as a model to emulate. Glad to see this move by Sears Holdings.
This sounds like a good move for Sears but I would suggest they should keep the “Sears” brand as far away from “ShopYourWay.com” as possible. The two brand images are very different and the “Sears” image could crash the efforts of “ShopYourWay.”
A good concept. It might work; but doubtful it will happen at Sears.
I have to go with Lee on this: Lampert making a personal announcement involving Levine or Minaj? Remember that “Twilight Zone” where they cast Wally Cox as a romantic lead? This, only more so.
Tough to say. This kind of initiative has worked quite well for some other retailers, and may be quite successful for Sears, but it is all about getting the right talent, and executing well. This is no silver bullet, and one has to consider the total return after the star takes their cut. Fashion Retailer H&M has been known to launch limited-time designer brands that people go crazy for, but they wisely use the element of scarcity to sell out and create buzz.
Done well, Sears could generate significant PR and reposition themselves in the minds of Generation Y, who view them as “where their parents shop” (similar to what McDonald’s arguably did in the past). Furthermore, these clothing lines will be exclusives, and should at the very least attract some of the star’s fans as shoppers.
It can’t hurt. It is worth trying out, but they have to keep on top of it so that success can be optimized and maximized.
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It’s worth a try. If celebrities can deliver innovative and stylish new clothing lines to Sears, and if Sears can correctly capitalize on this celebrity cachet, it may bring consumers into their stores. If handled well, it can be a win for Sears and the celebrities.
It’s not that this isn’t a good idea, it’s just that it’s not nearly enough to save what is no longer a sustainable retail concept. Generalist department stores who are stuck between the middle and ‘nowhere’ are being out-retailed by everyone around them. Better selection, better service, better convenience, better pricing (higher and lower), better store design, better merchandising, etc. in most other specialist retail stores.
It’s not that the senior and mid management teams at these department stores aren’t bright (in fact, some of the brightest retail minds I know work for some of them). It’s just that the concept doesn’t fly for most consumers any more.
Shop Your Way Brands is a brilliant concept. It has already established a solid online presence through ShopYourWay.com and I look forward to watching how the physical store branding evolves.
Today, retailers have to embrace a virtual and physical presence that is authentic, relevant and dynamic. I think ShopYourWay.com works as a model to emulate. Glad to see this move by Sears Holdings.
This sounds like a good move for Sears but I would suggest they should keep the “Sears” brand as far away from “ShopYourWay.com” as possible. The two brand images are very different and the “Sears” image could crash the efforts of “ShopYourWay.”
A good concept. It might work; but doubtful it will happen at Sears.
I have to go with Lee on this: Lampert making a personal announcement involving Levine or Minaj? Remember that “Twilight Zone” where they cast Wally Cox as a romantic lead? This, only more so.
Tough to say. This kind of initiative has worked quite well for some other retailers, and may be quite successful for Sears, but it is all about getting the right talent, and executing well. This is no silver bullet, and one has to consider the total return after the star takes their cut. Fashion Retailer H&M has been known to launch limited-time designer brands that people go crazy for, but they wisely use the element of scarcity to sell out and create buzz.
Done well, Sears could generate significant PR and reposition themselves in the minds of Generation Y, who view them as “where their parents shop” (similar to what McDonald’s arguably did in the past). Furthermore, these clothing lines will be exclusives, and should at the very least attract some of the star’s fans as shoppers.
It can’t hurt. It is worth trying out, but they have to keep on top of it so that success can be optimized and maximized.