RonHerman.com Is Tip of Expansion for Specialty Retailer
Ron Herman, a pioneer of the specialty-store sector in Los Angeles, has prided himself on following nobody’s lead during his 35 years in retailing. Yet when he was thinking of ways to expand his company this year, he decided to take a step that many retailers have already taken. He decided to build an ecommerce Web site, RonHerman.com, which opened for business with little fanfare on Sept. 1.
“If you have a branded, recognizable name, people expect you to have a Web site, but I didn’t have the feeling inside to create one” until now, he said. “I wanted to present it in a way that felt like a Ron Herman store. It’s a community specialty store. Who wouldn’t want to shop there?”
The Web site was launched during a particularly creative time for Herman. On Aug. 27, he opened the Free City Superstore in Malibu. The 1,600-square-foot store sells denim sportswear and T-shirts bearing the slogan “Free City.” These clothes are also sold at Ron Herman at Fred Segal Melrose.
He also debuted the Ron Herman Design Studio at the Fashion Coterie trade show in New York on Sept. 20. The line will develop separates for the 7 for All Mankind company’s new More 7 division. Retail price points are $50–$70 for the women’s T-shirts that Ron Herman Design Studio introduced at Coterie. The collection will be available for Spring/Summer 2006 at stores in 7 for All Mankind’s distribution network.
Multibillion-dollar business
Online retailing was booming well before Herman ventured into this business. According to a U.S. Census survey published in May, consumers purchased $6 billion in clothing online in 2003. Herman said he did no research into e-tailing; instead, he was intrigued by the challenge of building a Web site that would accurately represent the unique culture of his stores.
In April, he hired Allison Samek, the former category manager of clothing, shoes and accessories at eBay, as his head of marketing. He also hired his daughter Chrissy Herman as marketing manager. On Aug. 1, he moved the Web-site operation into a 3,000-square-foot warehouse at Fairfax and Willoughby avenues. Geyrhalter Designs, based in Santa Monica, Calif., constructed the look of the site.
Herman declined to forecast sales for the online business, but he predicted that it would eventually have similar sales revenue to his bricks-and-mortar stores.
The Web site sells women’s clothes and the CDs merchandised at Ron Herman stores. Eventually, it will sell men’s clothes too. But Samek said what makes RonHerman.com different from other e-tail sites is its sales staff. Consumers can call or email the staff to ask for advice on the best brands and how to complete an outfit. John Eshaya, the longtime womenswear buyer for Ron Herman stores, will also be heading up buying for the Web site, which currently sells 41 brands, including Trunk, True Religion and Ella Moss.
Samek said the Web site has already achieved a measure of success without spending one advertising dollar. More than 3,000 people have signed up for the RonHerman.com newsletter since Sept. 1.
