LONDON — Tesco, the U.K.’s leading food retailer, is taking its clothing offerings upscale.
The company has launched a higher-end, 30-piece apparel collection for women and men, which includes pieces such as extra-fine merino wool knits and silk printed tea dresses, with prices ranging from 8 pounds, or $15, for a jersey tank to 90 pounds, or $170, for a leather biker jacket. No piece in the line, called F&F Collection by Lee Rees-Oliviere, exceeds 100 pounds, or $190, the price of a two-piece tuxedo suit. (All dollar figures have been converted at current exchange rates.)
“Our customer research has shown that the label is less important, as long as the clothes are great quality and on trend,” said Sean Murray, head of marketing at Tesco. “F&F Collection enables us to expand on our current offer and deliver more variety to our customers.”
The line has been created by Rees-Oliviere, the company’s head of design, who joined Tesco in 2005 following stints at Marks & Spencer and Jaeger. “Lee was a natural fit to head up the development of this range,” said Murray. “[His] extensive experience…and attention to detail and cut underline his approach — all crucial factors in our first design-led clothing offer.” Murray added the collection was designed to appeal to both current and new customers in the 25- to 45-year-old age range.
The F&F Collection will be sold at 25 Tesco stores in the U.K. from early September and merchandised alongside the company’s existing clothing lines, Florence & Fred and Cherokee, with promotional imagery highlighting the line. The company plans to roll out the collection to 42 Tesco stores for spring 2007, although there are no plans for it to be sold in Tesco’s stores outside the U.K.
Tesco joins stores such as Marks & Spencer and Wal-Mart in developing higher-end collections alongside its lower-priced ranges — with Wal-Mart recently launching sportswear designed by Mark Eisen. Marks & Spencer has two higher-end lines, Limited Edition and Autograph Collection.