Strandbags Stays Ahead Of The Fashion Curve

November 2012 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

By Bob Johns, associate editor

Through innovative assortment planning, the specialty fashion retailer is able to reduce inventories and increase sales.

When you are a specialty fashion retailer like Strandbags, having the latest styles in stock and ready to go is a matter of success or failure. That is why Strandbags, a leading Australian seller of handbag, travel bag, business bag, school bag, backpack, and wallet collections, is always looking to streamline its supply chain and get product to the stores quickly and in the right quantities.

Strandbags has become a destination store for customers seeking the latest fashion styles since 1927. The company has grown to 300 stores across Australia and New Zealand and features a robust e-commerce site with a broader reach. However, keeping up with the Kardashians, literally, and other designers can be problematic. The company cannot afford to sit on inventory when a new line hits or when there are updates to an existing line. Plus, if the new fashions have to wait to be on the floor until the old ones are gone, the store misses out on the fever created by the new line. “We need to be ahead of the fashion curve, which is nearly impossible,” says Graham Clements, merchandise planning director. “We can’t do that by having old product that needs to be cleared out, nor by not ordering enough of the hottest fashion.”