Brands
The brand´s identification with its customers’ needs drives it to a dynamic of constant change. The aim is that the customer should find a good variety of articles in the store and also new products on offer. To this aim, intensive work is put into increasing the rotation of the garments and providing the customer with new collections.
The renewal of the brand also includes a new store concept, closer to that of the fashion boutique, which is smaller (500 to 600 M² maximum) with greater adaptability to shopping centres and new locations. The new Cortefiel store separates more successfully the Men and Women sections where this is not the intention, increasing its fashion line. In October 2004 the first store with this new concept opened in the Plaza Norte Shopping Centre in San Sebastián de los Reyes (Madrid), with such good results that in 2005 six more stores opened in major Spanish cities. The brand has launched a national advertising campaign in order to communicate Cortefiel´s new image, also employing local media in order to achieve maximum reach in each city and to increase brand recognition.
CORTEFIEL
Brand Consolidation
The company´s long history and its definitive consolidation in the Spanish and European textile market does not mean that Cortefiel is not taking on new challenges. The company faces each new season with clear objectives to reach the place it has nearly reached: the forefront of the Spanish fashion industry.
The good data which endorses Cortefiel support its constant expansion. The brand has 262 stores, 46 of which are situated outside our borders (Portugal, Belgium, The Netherlands, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Singapur).
The spirit of renewal has arrived with the new store concept which optimises sales and creates a more favourable atmosphere for our customers. The entrance of each of our stores creates from the outset the sensation of buying in an exclusive boutique, in the straight lines and and the sobre black which decorate the facade.
In the interior the careful lighting accompanies the materials chosen for each atmosphere which make the experience of buying in Cortefiel stores unique.
New horizons, new customers
Achieving leadership is never easy. For this to maintain itself as a fashion reference in Spain would not have been possible without the complete satisfaction of our customers. The enormous variety Cortefiel offers means that the target customer is in the broad range of ages between 25 and 55 years old. Fashion which adapts to all tastes has put Grupo Cortefiel in second place in the Spanish textile industry. The figures support this affirmation for the annual store visits reach 45 million.
Two years ago Cortefiel decided to renew its image as a fundamental base to continue to be a reference for Spanish ready-to-wear. For this reason its more sobre lines complement other younger more casual wear. All of this without leaving behind the classical tendencies which characterise Cortefiel.
The most elegant lines for men and women are letter of presentation of Cortefiel´s collections alongside classical tailoring. These sport and urban tendencies form part of Cortefiel´s spirit of renewal. A day to day fashion so that both men and women can choose Cortefiel outfits for any moment and any occasion.
All of these collections in which variety is vital, are based on a design and quality that leave customers completely satisfied. The fabrics are carefully selected, meaning perfect adaptation to easc of the designs. The highest quality to the last detail in skirts, dresses, suits, stitching or accessories.
The ease of buying in Cortefiel
Loyal customers who invest their trust in the brand should be rewarded. For this we decided to treat them with the creation of the Cortefiel Club loyalty card. Using this card for purchasing is much easier. Club members can postpone their payments, benefit from promotions and a system of bonus points. But the advantages do not stop here. For those club members who want to make closer contact to learn about brand news, there will be a free hour´s parking, free alterations and a gift cheque for their birthday.
The club has over 3 million members between Spain and Portugal and is one of the best tools for brand loyalty. It also boosts other chains in the Group such as Pedro del Hierro and women´secret because customers can also use the card for these brands and of course enjoy their benefits .
The web page is another tool which gives the purchaser closer contact with Cortefiel. Nowadays it is vital that a big company has an internet space. The Cortefiel site allows the most loyal clients to see the new season´s collections from their home. They can also look at the trends, different styles and beauty tips.
The social side of Cortefiel
In the world we now live in it is almost impossible not to be aware of the reality around us. For this reason Cortefiel decided some years ago to actively collaborate with the Foundación Menudos Corazones, (The Little Hearts Foundation)
This foundation helps children with heart problems so that they can have operations from the best specialists in Madrid. Its funds are used to aid the transfer of these children and their parents and also to maintain a flat close to the Ramon y Cajal Hospital in the north of the city. The child who will be treated in the centre will be able to live with its parents for the duration of the treatment.
This foundation aims to make the lives of small children with heart problems as much as possible like any child without them. For this summer camps, excursions and workshops are also organised under the care of trained personnel who are aware of the problems, so that they can lead a full life.
The brand also organises numerous beneficial events throughout the year to offer Menudos Corazones both economic and promotional support.
PEDRO DEL HIERRO
A historical relationship
Thirty years ago Pedro del Hierro presented its first collections. And it quickly became a master of design, as much as for haute couture as prêt-á-porter.
From the beginning its designs have searched out by the elegant and sophisticated woman, who looks for good quality for money.
In 1989 the relationship between designer and Grupo Cortefiel began its course. It has always been based on the perfect symbiosis. Grupo Cortefiel aquired prestige in the world of fashion and Pedro del Hierro, commercial expansion. The presence of the new brand is tangible in the creation of corners in the Cotefiel stores.
Little by little the brand consolidated itself inside the Group and in 1999 it was desided to open independent stores. The first two establishments positioned in the most exclusive areas of Madrid and Valencia breathed this touch of glamour, sobriety and elegance which characterise collections and the Pedro del Hierro line. The expansion continued and the opening of independent stores, along with the creation of a large number of corners in Cortefiel stores was constant during this time.
The brand currently has 64 corners, 110 Best Corners (where the season’s top items are exhibited) and 18 independent stores. There are also intenational corners in Belgium and Portugal.
Classical elegance
With Pedro del Hierro´s entrance in the Group, Cortefiel reached another segment of the population. People with medium to high income, good social position and above all fashion and design lovers.
With this Pedro del Hierro offers Cortefiel competence in the top range of the textile market. Quality, price and sophistication are the three bases which make the brand a reference in Spanish design. Pedro del Hierro designs exclusively for Grupo Cortefiel. The only place the designs can be purchased is in the stores themselves and in the corners inside Cortefiel stores.
The Pedro del Hierro image is reenforced with the layout of the store. Its recently renewed concept has optimised visits to the brand´s stores. The strucure and layout of the store are key to offering our clients precisely the image we want to give them. The windows are our letter of introduction, large windows which give a view through the entrance into the interior. Inside, exclusive designer furniture clearly displays accessories, enhanced by lighting which plays with them.
Along the walls of the shop collections are exhibited with carefully planned lighting which brings out the colours that contrast with the more sober colour scheme. The lighting highlights the occasional items, playing with light and dark, reflections, shine and matte.
The future of Pedro del Hierro
Since 1999 the firm has been in constant expansion. There has been an average of two store openings per year since then in different points in Spain; Málaga, Palma, San Sebastián, Córdoba and of course Madrid, these are the cities which offer Pedro del Hierro´s latest collections.
To these independant stores which exhibit exclusively the feminine clothing line from the Chaín, there will be corners added in Cortefiel stores. The 64 corners of the women´s collection increase the possibilities to buy the firm´s clothing, offering the latest tendencies to a much broader public.
As with all great brands, the customers have their favourite items and they are those which sell best. The Best sellers have a specific place in Best Corners which at the moment number 110.
The expansion of Pedro del Hierro continues over our borders. Conscious that the Spanish textile companies enjoy prestige outside our country, Cortefiel began to conquer the international market several years ago.
Pedro del Hierro has followed the same steps as the rest of our brands. They have opened corners in Belgium and Portugal, being the first step to expansion in Europe. Lisbon and Oporto, among another seven cities already enjoy Spanish fashion and of course Pedro del Hierro.
The biggest challenge that the brand must face is to open franchises in different European cities. This is the future of Pedro del Hierro, an expansion which takes the first step to conquering the top range in Europe.
SPRINGFIELD
A brand, an attitude towards life
The Springfield experience began in 1988. The brand was created to clothe young, urban, modern and cosmopolitan men with cultural and sporting interests. This model named “Springfield Guy” was the company´s first ‘leit motiv’ moment.
18 years ago this declaration of intention and the Springfield objective were exceeded. Currently it is a brand with a clear European accent, which shows how Spanish mens fashion has adapted perfectly to European trends.
With two great seasons each year (Spring-summer; autumn-winter) the sub-collections reach the great fashion consumer through unbeatable value for money.
What the consumer always looks for is good finish and quality for money. This is Springfield´s philosophy.
The fashion displayed in the store windows has a clear target: young men of 20 to 30 years old with a European mentality, they enjoy travel, socialising, sport and culture though always in an active way. They will soon leave university to find their first jobs with an atitude classified as “forever 25”. They are men who enjoy fashion but who are never overwhelmed by it and who do not yet have significant purchasing power.
With the colections we try to ensure that no aspect of this target is loverlooked. Springfieldis loyal to trends from tailoring to sportswear, and always has a fun, casual touch.
However this approach needed complementing. And so the brand´s line for women was created; Springfield Woman. In september 2006, women began to find a space inside the Springfield lifestyle. Active, modern and urban women looking for a casual, personal and defined style.
The brand was created in the shadow of its male partner but its intention is to revindicate itself through the independence that every 21st century woman seeks.
Due to its very recent creation Springfield Woman has only limited representation in stores. Its intention is to consolidate itself in the complicated world of women´s fashion as an alternative to the usual offer.
The Search for New Markets
After establishing itself in the national market the company decided to expand and take Spanish fashion to other countries. Through its own stores and an extensive network of franchises, Springfield is currently present in 38 countries and the five continents.
In Europe alone the brand has 385 points of sale in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary and Poland. In these countries the brand is extremely popular among young people, which has made the Springfield the Grupo Cortefiels most international chain.
Springfield´s fashion has adapted to different local markets and to the tastes of young men from different cultures and countries. This is possible due to the variety and versatility offered by the brands lines always lead by the european and cosmopolitan feel inherant in its collections.
From a business point of view the strong acceptance Springfield has on this continent means the brand has realised similar advertising and marketing campaigns on a global scale, achieving a strong brand image and international synergy.
The advantages of being a 'Springfield Guy'
The trust a customer invests in the brand is compensated in the Springfield loyalty card. Thanks to its system of points, the customer benefits from immeadiate discounts on thier purchase, free alterations, exclusive promotions, among others. This card is free and through emailing informs members on the new season, exclusive promotions and events for members.
Another of the communication tools is the website SPF.com. Through the internet, the site user will have access to brand news at any time of day from his computer at home. He will also be able to use the “scanner effect” which will mean seeing the collections as if he were in the store itself.
The site also has a virtual changing room in which the customer can try combinations from the comfort of his own home, reducing waiting time in store and optimizing brand sales.
The Springfield customer can also receive the Move Magazine which is a weekly online magazine, giving news on the worlds of sport, music, travel and culture.
Springfield moves with the world
Social action is a philosophical base for the brand. To support the meaning the brand identifies itself with, Springfield sponsors different sporting and cultural activities and events. Film pre-premiéres, fundraising concerts or sponsoring the Spanish handball team show Springfield´s commitment to society. From a recreational point of view, an unarguable part of the lives of young people, the brand has organised Spring Parties, which unite music and fashion, it has also set up urban gymkhanas so that under the motto “life is a trip” groups of young people will compete in physical contests to win a trip to Amsterdam.
Conscious that the future is in renewal, it also supports new fashion values such as, sponsoring the contest for young designers in the University Gazette. Thanks to this event, promising young designers in the fashion world have been able to show their talent and begin to work in the world of fashion design.
Springfield also works towards a better world. The brand collaborates actively with different NGOs, conscious that only with everyone´s help will we make our planet a better place to live.
Springfield´s support for the Fundación Natura is one example. The foundation invests its funds in buying large pieces of land of ecological value and turning them into nature reserves. Thanks to support from the brand, in 2004 Fundación Natura replanted a forest in Granada. The brand has also created solidatory markets with the season´s fashion, donating the profits to an NGO.
MILANO
Milano, the renovated classic
In 1984 the doors of the Milano chains first store opened. In that way Grupo Cortefiel broadens its horizons in tailoring. If Cortefiel was the chosen store for the male consumer to purchase his suit, with the arrival of Milano, he finds the specialisation of the product.
A product which, from the beginning followed a very defined line: To dress men with the seriousness of a suit but always combined with the best design. In Milano the quality of the fabric has marked the design of models for each season. For that reason it is associated with the big brands in men´s design; it uses different fabrics from Hermenegildo Zegna, Cerruti, Loro Piana, Guabillo and Vitale Barberis Canonico which reinforce Milano´s prestige.
The brand knows that its potential customer is the man who enjoys dressing well, is modern, urban, and pays great attention to detail and the luxury in small things. The suit is the reference for the Milano man but the accessories give different styles according to taste.
The Milano lines
The chain currently offers four great lines: Oro, Basic, Evoluzione and Ceremonia. An offer which can reach every kind of man, with any taste. Always taking care of the quality of the fabric, Milano offers its clients designs in cashmere or alpaca. To this add individual tailoring, created for the man who demands the best.
Milano also offers a wide range of accessories. The shirts, ties, shoes and cufflinks are articles which finish off the suit and mean that any man can shop in Milano. Depending on the line he chooses, which coincide with the tailoring lines, the customer can choose different fashion styles. The man who chooses Milano is urban, modern, needs to combine good design and quality, but also likes to treat himself to accessories, knowing that it is these that define his personality.
Milano and its international expansion
The brand currently has 18 points of sale and presence not only in Spain but also in Portugal (3 stores and France (4 stores). Milano is intending to expand over the next four years and reach a figure of 38 stores. The image of the brand needs to change and become closer to an international style, chosen by the European man.
The brand also plans to move to European capitals such as Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels Luxemburg. In order to maintain the national market the brand will open new points of sale in different Spanish cities (Seville, Bilbao or Malaga among others).
As a third line of business compatible with the national and international interests, Milano is going to follow the franchise strategy which will allow it to become better known and possess more points of sale, reinforcing its brand image.
Adapting to changing times
In order to achieve a greater number of customers and adapt to the demands of a classic market in profound change, Milano has decided to evolve. Its four lines (Oro, Basic, Evoluzione y Ceremonia) will be unified in three which will be classic, casual and accessories, more in touch with the needs of today´s man.
Apart from change in the lines, the brand intends to boost its accessories. It will create two styles: accessories for image and elements for impulse purchase. The first to reach the customer as an impulsive purchase within the most modern and avant garde design. They would be cufflinks and personalised buttons, ties for the ipod, bowing gloves ...always displaying the distinction of wearing a product created exclusively for the person wearing it.
Impulsive purchasing, which is the second of these changes which increases with those accessories which are always needed and everybody wears. Watches, wallets, bracelets would be the most classical part of this new line and they would complement the moderness of other accessories such as cases for golf clubs and for ipods.
Milano and its relationship with the customers
Milano offers customers its own loyalty card. There are currently 80,000 members in Spain who mean 13% of sales. In other countries where the brand is present there are 13,000 member in Portugal and 4,700 in France. However these figures will increase not only with new openings but also offering clients incentives. Following these changes the brand hopes to achieve 30% loyalty over the next three years.
In the new stage beginning for the chain, it is following new actions to reinforce the trust of current customers, but also to capture the attention of potential customers. If the Milano lines modernise, the brand´s stores must not get left behind, they must follow and unite with the same brand strategy
WOMEN'SECRET
The creation of a new model for women
In 1993 a revolutionary brand arrived on the scenes of the women's underwear market; women'secret.
Following the trends adapted to each season´s lines, the intention for Women´secret is that it should be a model reference for women. The enormous variety in the lines and fabrics is represented in collections which have changed each year with the passing of time. The aim is clear; to delight our customers.
From creating the most basic underwear, women´secret has evolved towards a much broader market. Without forgetting these two families, the brand successfully works with night clothes, clothing to relax at home, and swimwear and of course a wide range of accessories for any occasion.
Women'secret has become a brand of reference in the women´s fashion market. Consumers count on this chain for their usual shopping sessions and it is visited as much for impulsive purchases as for needed ones.
One of the most valued aspects, and this thanks to its inclusión in women´s shopping circuit, is the frequent change in the collections. The rotation which is realised in the different subcollections of each season is something which is highly valued among our customers. This is basically due the fact that female consumers value variety and novelty in brands in order to enjoy fashion every season. The brand reinforces its offer with special collections that appear in particular times of the year such as St Valentine and Halloween. Women´secret also expands with a brand which nació al amparo de la mujer.
This is none other than Only for Kids, women'secret's sub brand which offers fashion for young children. It began as clothes and accessories for babies and children up to four years old, but due to a positive welcome it has expanded its offer to children of up to six years old and has duplicated each season´s collections always with the reference of the designs made for the women´s range.
Women who choose to dress in women´secret belong to upper-middle class, have been to university, and are urban, working women. The target age is between 18 and 35 years old which demonstrates the versatility in the collections and brand lines.
Different markets, the same type of woman
The great reception that women´secret has in the Spanish market has allowed it to widen its borders. But the brand expansion which already has international presence will grow significantly over the next four years. Franchises will be the international passport which will shape the dream of seeing Spanish fashion over five continents.
My Basics
To renovate is a symbol of the desire to progress. With this in mind, at the end of 2006 the brand will launch a new collection; my basics. Intimate fashion foe any situation, any time of day and thanks to its careful finish and the quality of its fabrics, it will accompany the woman for a long time.
The new line will consist of 6 categories (each one identified by a number and colour) which will bring together a total of 29 models. 7 days, 1000 necklines, up & sexy, in shape, moms and knickers are the names of these collections and they will be available in stores in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia halfway through the Autumn- Winter season 2006-07. Following that we anticipate the spread over the whole Iberian market to continue expanding through international markets.
Wow, women'secret wonderclub
The new brand loyalty club will be known under this name. The card will be free and immeadiately available and of course will offer the customer a great number of advantages, while at the same time boosting added value to women'secret and increasing sales levels.
Thanks to this card, customers can take advantage of bonus points which they will be given with every purchase they make and will be worth 5% of the amount spent. This money will be accumulable and the customer will be able to spend it with their next purchase in any Women´secret establishment within a year.
The club will begin to function in Seville and Murcia as a test phase in the Autumn-Winter 06-07 season, to be later introduced successively in the Iberian Peninsula and the international market.
New technologies for fashion
The women'secret website was designed several years ago in order to bring the brand closer to women. The brand´s new virtual space is called www's and is a way of insuring that the brand and the customer have a much closer relationship. On its website women´secret offers the season's catalogues to customers all over the world (it is available in three languages), brand videos, games, competitions and news. Also in order to boost the wow club, there is a section for the exclusive use by club members.
The online shop is one of the most valued parts for the customer for its design and usefulness. The number of sales increases every year due to the ease of having available all of the season´s collections at the click of a ñouse and to receive merchandise at home. Apart from the new collections there is also an outlet, a personal assistant to ensure efficient shopping and a table to show in case of doubt which size each customer uses.
Social investment by women'secret
Conscious of the power it has throughout the world, the firm decided to help a social cause, using its prestige and its name. For this it chose the NGO with international presence, Tierra de Hombres, which centres its efforts on helping the most vulnerable children.
Women'secret's work is based in the project "Viaje hacia la vida" which collects funds for children in countries with sanitary deficiencies. Thanks to the money given by the brand, these children can travel to Sapin for operations and can then be treated in hospitals in their countries of origin.
One of the most notable actions of this brand in this collaboration agreement was the creation of the line "Designing for life" in which eight women from different cultural backgrounds offered their designs for a set of underwear. The money saved was given to the "Viaje hacia la vida" project.