brand perception but also to reward and support our retailers. From a marketing perspective this equates to a simple push pull strategy. Firstly, ‘the push’! We are running a fantastic promotion where staff in
our accounts can benefit directly when they sell a pair of Van Dal shoes. There is a prize fund of up to £75,000 with holidays to the Maldives, Barbados, Health Farms plus concert tickets, i-Pads and loads more to be won. We’re hoping to bring a few smiles to people simply by selling our shoes! In terms of ‘the pull’ and to make it even easier we are building on our national media campaign with the addition of national TV. The net result will be that awareness of the brand itself will be greater than ever. For me though, the big story for the brand, and coming right back to
our first question, is the launch of a new collection called ‘Van Dal Vintage’. With 75 years of making shoes behind us there are more than a few cracking designs in the vaults. For me this is where it gets really exciting for the brand. Norwich made shoes, from our own collections. The shoes aren’t randomly chosen though, Claire Farmer and the team have diligently tracked designs that are trending up. They still have to be commercial. Above all though, its legitimate brand history and I can’t enthuse enough about it. We are all tremendously proud of our heritage and for me Van Dal Vintage helps to turn the ‘mothers shoe’ perception on its head.
What of the other brands? Whilst Van Dal is our house brand we have very recently added a number of new names to a growing portfolio. Pikolinos, Marc, Origa, Filippa Scott which includes both bridal and evening wear shoes all join Van Dal under in the TFG stable. Both Pikolinos and Marc are well established European brands and in
both cases have had exposure in the UK. TFG is an agent and distributor respectively for these and both complement the Van Dal offering. Between them there is a great foundation on which our customers can build a business.
Origa Bridal is wholely owned by TFG and represent our first foray
into the market, again with a wider fitting ethos. This is complemented by Filippa Scott. An established brand in its own right we are working in partnership with Filippa herself to offer both marketing, administrative and logistical support to grow the label. For her part Filippa has joined our design team and is working closely with them to continue the recent progress.
What are your highlight products for SS11? Cannes TLC, in our main Van Dal collection is a gorgeous new suede
covered wedge. New for the season it’s a lovely feminine style sitting on new kit. The TLC element comes with the addition of ion-mask™ protection, so dirt and water present no problem. Corsica is our highlight model from the Van Dal Vintage collection.
The upper pattern comes directly from our 1957 collection and we’ve sat it on a striking leather covered stacked heel. The heel works really well contrasting with the softer tones of the upper. Lovely shoe! With Pikolinos and Marc it’s a bit like kids in a sweet shop, there are
loads of great new styles. The pick of both the collections is probably the Masai concept from Pikolinos. Its an ethical project which mirrors the brands commitment to social responsibility. They are working directly with women of the Masai tribe who are embroidering uppers in their village. For every shoe made Pikolinos are paying a royalty which is then reinvested into building schools and amenities. They are proud people and wanted to work, to be employed and yet masters of their own destiny. The project was trialled in Spain and achieved a 75% sell through in just over 6 weeks!
Contact Jason Larke Head of Marketing Tel: +441603 493108
E-mail:
Jason.Larke@floridagroup.co.uk www.vandalshoes.com
SEPTEMBER 2010 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• 19
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