Multibrand Strategy Will Boost Sales, Says New Concept Lamb & Flag
Kellwood Co.’s new Lamb & Flag retail concept will debut in Southern California malls in December, and it will defy a bit of conventional wisdom. Lamb & Flag will be a multibrand store that runs counter to recent years’ predominance of boutiques devoted to a single label.
A multibrand strategy will be the best bulwark against a poor economy, said Eric Hunter, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer of Kellwood. Kellwood also owns vertical retailer Vince and other brands Scotch & Soda, Rebecca Taylor and David Meister. Kellwood is owned by Sun Capital Partners Inc.
“Multibrand stores weathered the tough economic times better than mono-brand stores. Providing customers with different brands is how people like to shop now,” Hunter wrote in an email.
Lamb & Flag, named after a British pub, will offer Kellwood’s new Lamb & Flag collection, which is aimed toward men and women aged 18 to 24. The stores also will offer more than 15 third-party brands, including Nudie, RVCA, Cheap Monday, A.P.C. and Insight.
The new venture’s e-commerce store at www.lambandflag.com debuts Nov. 11 and is guided by a multibrand strategy. The strategy also will influence the company’s physical stores. A 3,500-square-foot Lamb & Flag will debut at Brea Mall in Brea, Calif., Dec. 16, and another one is scheduled to debut the same day at The Shops in Mission Viejo in Mission Viejo, Calif. A Lamb & Flag store is scheduled to open at Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, Calif., in January.
Kellwood is forecasting it will open 20 to 30 additional stores in 2013 with the eventual goal of reaching 700 to 800 doors, according to Hunter.
Retail consultant Mercedes Gonzalez also said that multibrand boutiques have performed decently during the sluggish economy. Specifically, they have not lost any market share. However, customers are not specifically looking for a multibrand or solo-brand experience, she said. Rather, consumers are looking for a great store environment, she wrote in an email.
“Urban Outfitters does a good job with multibrands because they created that environment for that hipster lifestyle,” she wrote. Gonzalez is director of New York–based Global Purchasing Companies.
Lamb & Flag will offer vintage denim styles with retail price points ranging from $56 to $98. It also will offer off-the-shoulder knits, dresses, sweatshirts, T-shirts bearing logos and military-style jackets. Price points will range from $22 to $68 for T-shirts and wovens and $48 to $128 for outerwear. The Lamb & Flag collection also will offer men’s and women’s fragrances.—Andrew Asch
