BECKONING, SEDUCING, SELLING
The Secret to This Small Town Store's Success

One doesn't often think of Parksville, BC as a red-hot retailing town where one makes exceptional returns in setting up a store. And yet, for Sandy Herle, owner of Close To You, not only has she transformed her lingerie store into a power house, she has successfully expanded her store into a new location and added a full clothing line. When Sandy first contacted me at the beginning of the 2003 holiday season, I immediately empathized with her need for better store organization. The seasonal merchandise has just arrived and her small store was bursting on its seams. Her lingerie store has lost its very essence of romance and seduction.

I often come across a number of Sandys whose original intention in opening a store is to have fun delivering great service while at the same time providing a unique atmosphere for shopping. Somewhere along the lines, with store operations, inventory planning and management taking up a good amount of time, this romance is slowly lost.

To get back to your original roots, you need to ask why customers shop your store. What is it that differentiates your store from the chain stores or the big box retailers? What do customers want out of your product? In Sandy's case, it is romance, seduction, comfort, the right fit and a knowledgeable staff. It is from here that we re-designed her store layout and category adjacency plan. A seasonal section first greeted customers as they walked in. With the cold windy Parksville weather, thick huggable robes merchandised with comfy flannels seduced customers into the store. Once inside, the snuggables gave way to soft flowy romantic robes and lingerie, perfect for that night spent in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine. Next, they were greeted with garments designed with one thing in mind¡Kseduction. Towards the back of the store, the basics lined a power wall where service experts are ready to fit customers.

It is now over a year later, and according to Sandy, "With the divisions and groupings, clients spend more time in the store exploring and discovering. They are able to go to the area of their wants and everything is tied together with purpose and direction. We see nothing but great things happening here. Our overall October sales went up 83!!! (Bra sales for October were up 25.51%; Panty sales were up 18.66%)"

BEFORE
  

AFTER
  


SANDY (middle) and some of her team members