Polo Ralph Lauren is going to open its largest women’s store in Manhattan. The store is built to resemble a mansion and is located at Madison Avenue and 72nd Street. The 22,000 square feet store is going to make the one man brand in fashion even bigger. The women’s store will also feature home collections and new lines of lingerie and fine jewelry.
The store obviously has stocks that are rather expensive but it is not targeted only towards the rich tourists and New Yorkers. In a classic effort of brand building, the store is also meant to excite more ordinary shoppers who sustain the company’s profitable polo-and-khaki business. Apparently stores of this size are not particularly profitable on their own. It could be true if you calculate the return on investment only in terms of sales made through the store. But the real benefit of these stores is that it provides an average consumer the opportunity to go and touch that brand at attainable price points.
Mr. Lauren while giving an interview at the store was very optimistic about the potential of the store. He was confident that the Madison Avenue Store will help his company both in retail and at wholesale. He explained that he had started as a wholesaler but his sales improved when he started opening his own stores in the 1970s.
Via: nytimes
