NEW YORK — Specialty retailer Appleseed’s is banking on a “big bang” that economists have predicted for years: the coming together of Baby Boomers and fashion.
Appleseed’s, which just opened its fifth and sixth stores, has repositioned itself to capture aging Boomers who see their golden years as a time to pamper themselves in style. The retailer has stores clustered in the Northeast, several in the Boston suburbs, one on Cape Cod and one in Rhode Island.
Once a catalogue-only company focused on the mature market, the retailer hired Claire Spofford in May 2003 to prepare for the launch of its first retail fronts. As a former marketing executive with Timberland, one of her first duties as senior vice president of marketing and retail was to revamp the Appleseed’s Web site and design a “brand right” retail store to capture the style- and service-hungry older woman. In 2005, Appleseed’s also acquired one of its competitors, the slightly more classic Tog Shop, which allows Appleseed’s to evolve from its conservative roots.
The strategy appears to be working. Appleseed’s two original stores, which opened before Spofford helped redesign the brand, both had same-store sales running at about 10 percent. While comps aren’t yet available for the newest four stores, which started rolling out in July 2005, sales data show that the catalogue business only slowed 5 percent within a 30-minute drive time of the new shops.
For complete coverage, see Monday’s WWD.