Debenhams’ Fashion Dictionary Gets An Update

Debenhams has been forced to add new words to a fashion dictionary it gives to personal shoppers, due to an influx of new terms that have emerged from the fashion press.

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Whilst newly made up words such as ‘shooties’ and ‘jeather’ are instantly understood by clothing industry insiders, terms from last year’s dictionary such as ‘jardigan’ and ‘tregging’ are now only understood by shoppers thanks to the dictionary says the store.

So mainstream are these unusual ways of describing clothing that even the Oxford English Dictionary has been forced to include terms from the Debenhams fashion dictionary such as ‘jegging’ and ‘mankini’ for 2011.

Said Debenhams spokesperson Ed Watson: “The addition of ‘jeggings’ and ‘mankini’ to the Oxford English Dictionary shows our glossary informed the masses and we now need to take it upon ourselves to create clarification once more”.

“We are still aiming to strip away as much of this new language as possible and use plain English to describe everything we sell.”

New fashion phrases added to the dictionary include mangrow (baby grow for men); shinos (short/chinos); trogues (trainer/brogues); jorts (jean/shorts); athleisure (clothes to take you from work to the gym); spants (skirt/pants); swacket (sweater/jacket) and glittens (mittens that roll back to reveal gloved fingers).

Debenhams’ Ed Watson said: “We believe that these words are only properly understood by approximately five per cent of the population – yet they are commonly used throughout the fashion industry.

“It’s virtually a secret language, designed solely for fashion experts and people who read fashion magazines on a daily basis.

“Debenhams decided to produce the dictionary so that every shopper, both fashion expert and non-expert alike, can shop easily and clearly in all of our stores. Debenhams is encouraging the fashion industry to use existing English words to describe garments rather than these made up amalgamations.”

Watson continued: “Ideally we would like to drop all these amalgamations, but our hands are tied due to the terms being used on search engines. We are committed to keeping their use to a minimum. Hopefully the dictionary will go some way to cleaning up the confusion.

“It is now easier to understand complex calculus than some of the words commonly used by commentators within the fashion industry to describe garments.”

Marie Clair, spokesperson for Plain English Campaign said: “The world of fashion is reliant on these changing trends, which are often based on little more than classic foundations with clever twists. These latest words are just existing, familiar words that have been cut and stitched to make nothing more than the ‘Emperor’s new clothes'”.
The New Debenhams 2011 Fashion dictionary will be rolled out this week.

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Debenhams Launches Autumn Advertising Campaign

Debenhams has unveiled a new multi-million pound marketing campaign for Autumn/Winter 2011.

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Starring designers Julien Macdonald, Ben de Lisi, John Rocha and for the first time, Henry Holland, the autumn campaign follows the successful spring launch of Debenhams’ first brand campaign for four years.

Richard Cristofoli, Marketing Director at Debenhams said: “The spring campaign was successful – dresses featured in the advert saw sales double and our Reger by Janet Reger lingerie sales increased by 300%.

“Furthermore, the spring campaign was vital in reminding customers about the unique relationship Debenhams has with some of the biggest names in fashion. We’ve learnt from the spring ad and autumn represents the first significant evolution for the campaign.”

Now under the banner ‘Life Made Fabulous’, Debenhams has developed the concept further and is confident of a positive response to match if not exceed, the previous season.

Each advert opens with a designer in their studio, adding the finishing touches to a garment. The transition moment is a close up of the product before the scene shifts to the same item being worn and enjoyed in real life situations.

All adverts feature the campaign strap line ‘Life Made Fabulous with Designers at Debenhams’, with the voice of the campaign coming from Billie Piper of ‘Belle du Jour’ fame.

Richard continued: “Featuring big name designers that have been working with us for over ten years as well as some of the new additions like Henry Holland, this campaign tells the story of a Designer at Debenhams garment in an upbeat and beautifully shot series of adverts.

“We have secured some fantastic prime-time slots to launch the campaign, including Emmerdale and the X Factor and are excited to see the reaction from our customers.”

The new backing track for the campaign is ‘This is the Life’ by Northern Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club. The band’s name came about after member Sam Halliday mispronounced the name of the local cinema, Tudor Cinema, and it stuck.

The ads will launch during Emmerdale and will feature Julien Macdonald, Ben de Lisi, John Rocha and, for the first time, Henry Holland.

In addition, Debenhams’ biggest selling exclusive non-designer range Red Herring will also be featured in an advert showcasing some of the brand’s most popular young fashion.

The full 40 second adverts will also run during the coveted X Factor showing following the launch.

Also supported digitally through Debenhams.com and Debenhams TV, the campaign is enhanced with exclusive interactive material such as interviews with each designer, top picks and social media activity, taking a look at how the designers work to create their collections in store each season.

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Diamond Jewellery Market Growth in East

Recent figures suggest that the market for diamond jewellery in the near future is expected to be driven by increased growth in India, China and the Gulf.

These emerging Eastern markets have demonstrated significant growth in the past few years, with diamonds proving increasingly popular as both a luxury item and a long-term investment.

By 2015, it is predicted that India, China and the Gulf will equal or surpass the market share of the US, which currently stands at 35 to 40 per cent. In 2010, India and China were already up 31 and 25 per cent respectively.

However, with worldwide reserves of diamonds at an all-time low, this new growth in Eastern countries means the balance between supply and demand is set to become more mismatched than ever; forecasts warn that demand is likely to outpace lower levels of diamond supply for many years to come.

With diamonds only getting rarer, it’s likely that the value of diamonds will continue to ascend on a global scale in the same way that gold and silver prices have already, increasing the natural treasure’s worth in the long term.

Although diamond prices have already begun to reflect the imbalance between supply and demand, the view that diamonds are an ‘investment vehicle’ that has the potential to grow – or at least remain the same – means customers are continuing to buy.

When compared to the inflated prices of gold, diamonds also – for the time being – pose a more affordable alternative in an unsteady economy.

It is yet to be seen how the rising value of diamonds will affect the production and/or prices of popular jewellery brands, popular in both the East and West, which feature diamond-encrusted pieces in their collections. For now, however, fans of Pandora jewellery and the like need not worry.

Visit the Jewel Hut, one of the UK’s leading jewellery websites, today to view an extensive collection of diamond jewellery.

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Sekonda Watches Party on TV’s Popstar to Operastar

The party is nearly over for ‘Popstar to Operastar’ contestants Joe McElderry and Cheryl Baker but it never stops for Sekonda watches.

Over the past five weeks, Sekonda has showcased its colourful range of Party Time watches in its role as official show sponsor of ITV1’s singing competition.

In that time, the eight celebrity contestants have been whittled down to finalists McElderry and Baker, who will compete against each other to be crowned the winning ‘Operastar’ on Sunday’s final show.

Although the final curtain will come down on ‘Popstar to Operstar’ for another year, fans of Partytime won’t have to wait that long to see their favourite Sekonda watches return to the screen.

The new series of ‘Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model’, which commenced on Sky Living on Monday (04 July), will feature the modelling hopefuls sporting Sekonda Partytime watches as part of one week’s challenge.

Sekonda watches’ starring role in Living’s fashion show follows last year’s photo shoot, which saw contestants wearing Casio Baby-G watches and led to show winner Joy McLaren being selected as an official brand ambassador.

Although it is not yet known whether this year’s winner will enjoy a similar deal modelling Sekonda Partytime watches, the brand itself is sure to benefit from another turn in the TV spotlight.

Each Partytime watch boasts a bold, single colour strap with a glittering stone-set bezel, providing a colour for every party any time of the year.

With Christmas approaching, it’s likely that Sekonda will continue its sponsorship of ITV shows over the festive period following annual slots in 2009 and 2010, which won the watch brand even more fans in the run-up to Christmas.

A wide range of Sekonda watches, including the Partytime range, can be viewed at the Watch Hut, the UK’s largest watches website.

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Pandora Jewellery Line Launches Online Mag

The Copenhagen-based jeweller behind the Pandora bracelets range is set to venture into online publishing to help it to stay in contact with its millions of customers worldwide.

The first issue of the online magazine will launch on 20th June 2011 and will be sent to the 1.6 million members of their website-based Pandora Club.

The magazine will feature behind the scenes insights into the brand, fashion shoots, style tips and the stories behind customer’s purchases of Pandora jewellery and bracelets. Published six times per year, the magazine will initially launch in an international format which the company eventually hopes to be able to adapt with local content such as special events and promotions.

The launch of the magazine marks an important step in the evolution of the company. Since the UK launch in 2006 the company’s product range, which now includes rings and watches, has been selling at a phenomenal rate. The company has managed supply and demand successfully, due in large part to its integrated designs, manufactures and distribution.

Founded in 1982, Pandora jewellery is today sold in more than 55 countries on six continents through over 10,000 points of sale, including more than 450 Pandora branded concept stores as well as online from stores such as thejewelhut.co.uk.

Whilst the financial projections were made successfully, what could not have been seen is the way in which consumers have taken the brand to their hearts. Pandora bracelets have become very different from a standard jewellery product; it has taken on a life of its own and has become a part an important constituent of the lives of its wearers. This symbiotic relationship has created many repeat customers who have made their charm bead collection an integral part of their lives.

Mikkel Berg, executive marketing director, quoted in a recent Marketing Week article, said: “This magazine rewards our customers’ loyalty and gives new opportunities for them to share their thoughts with each other and the company.”

To ensure that you get your copy sign up online on the Pandora website at pandora.net. For more information on Pandora jewellery, visit popular UK jewellery site the Jewel Hut at http://www.thejewelhut.co.uk.

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Boden emerged victorious as the CRM/Loylty category winner of Marketing Week’s second Engage Awards

Boden, the multichannel retailer of apparel and accessories, emerged victorious as the CRM/Loylty category winner of Marketing Week’s second Engage Awards. Announced at a glittering ceremony at the Grosvernor House Hotel in London, members of the Boden team were delighted by the recognition by judges and peers for their innovative CRM efforts.

The award-winning “Love Story” campaign featured personalised mailing, addressed to a customer’s first name with a J Loves logo at the front. A fold-out spread was completely unique to each customer based on their shopping history and life story with the brand.

The back of the catalogue featured further personalisation, with product recommendations based on analytics. These were further complemented by personal emails with further recommendations and additional integrated material.

Overall results for the catalogue mailing delivered a near 30% uplift in response. Engage Award’s judges were impressed, commenting “A great example of marketing with a personal touch.” Praising the quality and relevance of personalisation they added, “Strong customisation made it highly engaging and drove strong results”.

Boden’s campaign fought off strong competition in the face of O2’s Priority campaign and Innocent Drinks’ Innocent AGM to claim the Winner’s award. Further shortlisted entries came from Coca-Cola, Cravendale, Fiat, M&S and More Than amongst others.

Now in its second year, Marketing Week’s Engage Awards received even more entries than last year, which were judged by judged by a host of well know industry professionals including Mark Choueke, Editor of Marketing Week, Will Abbott, Marketing and Communications Director, Freesat, Lauren Branston Director, Public Affairs & Communications, Coca Cola, Craig Inglis Director, Marketing John Lewis, Richard Reed CEO Innocent Drinks and Phil Rumbol Founding Partner 101.

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Clothing retailer Boden reported a doubling of response on its latest enquirer conversion campaign in Summer 2011

Clothing retailer Boden reported a doubling of response on its latest enquirer conversion campaign in Summer 2011. Investment in an integrated multichannel approach to enquirer mailings with high level of personalisation paid off with improved ROI compared to past campaigns.

In May, Boden mailed Royal Wedding themed postcards to its enquirers, each featuring a personalised URL leading to a tailored micro site. Visitors were able to enter a competition to instantly win £1,000 worth of Boden clothing. Those that weren’t lucky enough to scoop the prize were awarded with a 15% off discount and automatically deep-linked from the micro site to the relevant Boden web page based on their catalogue preferences and gender.

The thorough approach with creative integration from start to finish paid off, boosting both engagement and sales. Matthew Finn, Assistant Marketing Manager at Boden, commented “Despite the higher initial costs we experienced almost double the response rate.” He went on to thank digital printers Howard Hunt and insight partners Celerity for their support in putting the campaign together.

Mr Finn now plans to roll out similar features to more tactical campaigns in the future. “We’ve seen declining response rates for enquirers on traditional mailings”, he says, sighting personalised integrated campaigns as a way to boost enquirer engagement and conversion.

This success follows hot on the heels of Boden’s catalogue campaign that was awarded Marketing Week’s Engage Award in May. The “Love Story” campaign featured personalised mailing, addressed to a customer’s first name with a J Loves logo at the front. A fold-out spread was unique to each customer based on their shopping history and life story with the brand. Overall results for this catalogue mailing delivered a near 30% uplift in response.

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Emporio Armani S/S 2011 Collection at the Watch Hut

Make sure you spend your time stylishly this summer with a watch from the new Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2011 collection, available now at the Watch Hut.

New Emporio Armani watches are just waiting to give your wrist a style overhaul, over at the UK’s largest watch website.

Famed for its sexy and youthful appeal, Giorgio Armani’s Emporio Armani brand is one of the most recognised fashion labels on the worldwide market today. Its clothing and accessories output is trendy, smart and cool – and its watches are no exception.

This season’s brand new Emporio Armani watches don’t fix what isn’t broken, providing the brand’s fashion-conscious followers with an extensive choice of sexy, sophisticated designer timepieces that complement the existing collection.

Key trends include the continuing popularity of black and white ceramic models, sporty yet smart chronograph bracelet watches, and contemporary takes on classic leather strap dress watches.

All-new Emporio Armani watches can be viewed on the Watch Hut’s dedicated brand section or within the ‘Latest New Models’ category.

The UK’s largest watch website is home to some of the world’s leading designer watch brands, including another hot Armani off-shoot, Armani Exchange. With over 6000 watches available from more than 60 popular watch brands, the Watch Hut is a one-stop destination for the best in wrist style.

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A Massive Amount of Deals are now Available at DiscountVouchers.co.uk from Summer Toiletries to Clothes

More than 300 stores are offering fantastic deals on clothes and toiletries this week through the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website as the summer holiday season gets ready to begin. A huge range of deals can be enjoyed from money off to buy one get one free and the great savings will go a long way to help many people enjoy a break this year.

Keen clothes shoppers may wish to check out the different Boden voucher codes via the website with free delivery and returns on offer as well as 25% off all purchases. Other tempting deals range from beachwear to dresses and a free lilo will be given to very new customer through the website.

Deals at Boots can also be had with various top brands offers great prices on sun creams. Soltan Suncare Family Pack’s are on offer at just £11.99 while half-price Imedeen Tan Optimiser will be extremely popular with those looking to get a great tan.

A massive range of deals are also available at Joules clothing store and these range from summer dresses for mums to beachwear for the kids. The savings and offers can be found on the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website and all the family can enjoy the benefits from eth money saved on essential holiday necessities.

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Debenhams Finds Out How Fashion Suffers As The Week Goes On

Debenhams research reveals women take 36 minutes longer to get dressed for work on a Monday than on any other day of the week, new research shows.

According to the Debenhams study results, extra time is devoted to perfecting their hair, make up and clothing so that they can be sure of making a good impression on work colleagues. However, standards slip dramatically with each passing day, so that by the time Friday comes, the time spent on their appearance has slumped to just one quarter of the original figure.

Debenhams spokesman Ed Watson said: “Many women clearly experience a major fashion deficit as the week goes on. For some it’s a swift journey from Cheryl Cole to Nora Batty – in just five days.”

The data emerged during Debenhams network of personal shopper studies into women and men’s dressing habits throughout the week.

The results show that women spend, on average, 76 minutes getting ready for work each Monday morning. Twenty three minutes of which will be devoted to their hair, eighteen minutes on make-up, sixteen minutes to trying out different combinations of clothes with the rest taken up by showering and washing. However, this figure falls to just 40 minutes the following day, with time spent on hair falling to 12 minutes, with make-up and deciding what to wear both dropping to 9 minutes each.

By the time Friday comes, the total time spent on getting ready has collapsed to just 19 minutes – a quarter of the original figure. Instead hair preparation takes six minutes, make up just two minutes and deciding what to wear just one minute. Time spent in the bathroom remains constant at an average of ten minutes regardless of day of the week.

Men, by comparison, take on average 28 minutes to get ready on a Monday, a figures which slumps the very next day to 14 minutes before falling to a constant low of eleven minutes for the rest of the week.

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Tesco Win Green Retailer of the Year Award

Tesco, the leading UK retailer in beers, wines and spirits, won the Green Retailer of the Year at the Drinks Business Green Awards held at the end of March.

Tesco Win Green Retailer of the Year Award

Tesco picked up the award following a number of measures being taken by the retailer to make its packaging for alcoholic drinks as environmentally friendly as possible.

Tesco currently has 461 packaging reduction projects in beers, wines and spirits. So far, the retailer has have delivered 24,047 Metric Tonnes of BWS packaging reduction with another 8,000 MTs to be delivered in the next 6 months. Tesco has also driven the development of wines in Tetra Pak to increase their acceptability in the UK market. Tetra Pak is made of 75% paperboard, a low carbon raw material which they are working towards having 100% certified, currently by FSC. The hugely successful Tesco Value Spanish wines, packaged in Tetra Pak, have sold about 20,000 units per line per week since launch and the range was expanded to include a New World Value range from Chile in 2009.

As well as reducing packaging, Tesco has been active in driving glass reduction. Lightweight bottles have saved 5,500 MTs of glass on the retailer’s Own Label wines and even lighter ones are currently being pioneered. Additionally the proportions of recycled glass in Tesco’s Own Label bottles has been driven up by Tesco and now stands at 90% recycled content in green glass bottles and 35% for flint (clear glass).

Importing New World Wines in bulk and bottling them in the UK has saved 52,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Wines are ferried from Liverpool to Manchester on barge, taking 50 lorries of the road per week, saving 700,000 miles of emissions.

Tesco is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its delivery services as well. Delivery vehicles have been fitted with black boxes which monitor fuel consumption and drivers have been given advanced training to maximise fuel efficiency.

Following the successful introduction of carbon labelling on Tesco own brand products last year, the retailer is currently developing the first ever carbon footprinted Own Label wines with Highfield Estate in New Zealand (accredited by PAS2050). These will be a NZ Sauvignon Blanc and a NZ Pinot Noir.

In an effort to spread its knowledge to its customers, Tesco is putting additional levels of information on the back labels of wine bottles. These will include details on packaging reduction, disposal (recyclability), proportion of recycled material and carbon footprinting. Tesco has points of sale in its stores to encourage people to consider green options when making their purchases.

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F&F Couture At Clothing At Tesco

F&F Couture is the first foray into high fashion by a supermarket chain, and is set to banish any preconceptions about supermarket fashion. Eye-catching design features, bespoke fabrics and intricate detailing are present in every garment in the collection, which encompasses sixteen items ranging from a sheer printed racer-back vest to a heavily embellished sequin jacket.

Priced between £40 and £140, F&F Couture mixes print, texture and embellishment in a colour palette of zingy acid brights, muted charcoals and regal magenta tones.

Buying Director of Tesco Clothing Jan Marchant commented: “F&F Couture signifies a new era for supermarket fashion. It’s a high fashion-led range which will enable us to meet the increased desire for affordable yet high quality clothing, and we’re so confident that the range will be a success that work has already begun on the Autumn/Winter range.”

The standout piece of the collection is the Textured Pagoda Dress which is sculpted in a flattering hourglass shape. A ruffled collar adds detail to the dress whilst the exposed zip adds a welcome edginess.

Embellished with metallic silver sequins that highlight the muted print, the Pagoda Jacket is a dramatic cover up that will add interest to any outfit. The jacket is paired with the unstructured sequin trim Fisherman Trousers that have a flattering paperbag tie waist and slouchy oversized pockets.

Combining sharp tailoring with a feminine edge, the Stripe Shorts and Waistcoat are adorned with pintucks and origami pleats. A peek-a-boo cutout adds interest to the back of the waistcoat with the wrap-around fastening on the shorts creating a skirt-like appearance.

The Black Cropped Jacket is adorned with thousands of tiny sequins giving it a metallic quality, whilst the over-exaggerated long balloon sleeves add interest by playing on proportion. The Harem Pant in grey silk features a gathered waist and fabric is pulled in with drawstrings around the ankle.

Featuring diaphanous swathes of white fabric that drape from a high ruffled neckline, the Multi Layered Dress (£140) has an ethereal quality whether dressed up or down. The Multi Layered Skirt (£60) in the same fabric is finished with a puffball hem.

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Estella, a leading retailer of Baby Clothes, Announces Charity Partnership With Action Against Hunger

Estella, a leading retailer of Baby Clothes, Designer Children’s Clothes & Unique Kids Clothes, today announced the debut of their back to school clothes and partnership with Action Against Hunger, a charity devoted to fighting hunger in more than 40 countries. For every purchase made from Estella this Fall and Winter, the retailer of contemporary fashions designed for children, will donate one Plumpy’Nut to a child in need. Featured on CBS’s 60 minutes and other prominent media, Plumpy’nut is a prepackaged, easy to administer peanut butter based concoction that helps severely malnourished children (6 months to 5 years old) recover from starvation.

Estella kicks off this charitable campaign with the arrival of its back to school collection of designer children’s clothes and fall apparel including kids shirts, shorts, dresses, coats, outerwear, trousers and pants for boys and girls, unisex baby clothes, baby boy and baby girl clothes.

“This charitable campaign is designed to raise awareness of a little known breakthrough cure for a big disease afflicting less fortunate babies and kids, the same age as the children our store caters to,” said Estella co-founder Chike Chukwulozie. “As an African-born American, I have witnessed childhood starvation and am excited to be doing something about it. While Estella’s campaign will not eradicate childhood starvation, we can help raise awareness and save a few lives,” added Mr. Chukwulozie.

One of the first lines to arrive that will benefit this hunger fighting program is European designer Album di Famiglia. Estella introduced this European designer to New York and online in 2003 and has now collaborated with Album di Famiglia to launch a line of baby onesie rompers. Exclusive to Estella, these striped one-piece rompers are modern, stylish, cashmere soft, yet practical and easy to care for. Made with machine washable cotton, these one-piece bodysuits make great baby gifts or baby shower gifts.

With the launch of its back to school season, Estella is also proud to debut European designer, Mormor. This Danish designer makes its US debut at Estella with hand knit baby sweaters, baby knits, kids sweaters and kids knits. In addition, Estella will be making other prominent designer debuts later this fall with the inclusion of Add; Belgian artisans Max & Lola and Simple Kids; French designers Hartford Kids & Bon Bon; British designer Caramel Baby & Child; American designers Kit+Lili, Kingsley and One Kid (luxury, yet affordable Baby coats, girls coats and boys coats); and many other high end brands perfect for Fall apparel and back to school attire.

With an appearance in September’s Cookie Magazine, Estella’s Back to School and Fall Season is already making a splash with significant contributions going towards the Action Against Hunger campaign. “Our goal at Estella is to provide customers with unique fashions that are distinctive yet practical, comfortable, yet contemporary and to do so with civic responsibility. With our collaboration with Action Against Hunger and prominent designer collections, we have squarely met this goal this season.” stated Mr. Chukwulozie.

With appearances in The New York Times, Elle Magazine, Dailycandy.com, CNN.com, Vogue, InStyle, NBC’s Today Show, Town & Country, US Weekly and numerous other publications, blogs and web sites, Estella is the leader in baby clothes and designer kids clothes. For more information on Estella or to start shopping for unique baby clothes and kids clothes, please visit http://www.estella-nyc.com.

About Estella
Renowned as the source for cutting-edge kids clothes, Estella has quietly established itself as the designer infant clothing shop that celebrities, stylists, royalty and those in the know look to when they want something fresh. Featuring distinctive and unique baby clothes and kids’ clothes that are brought to life with modern designs, incredible detail, unusual colors and sumptuous fabrics, Estella’s innovative approach offers gorgeous items selected for beauty and character. Founded in 2002, Estella is privately held and headquartered in New York, NY. For more information about Estella, please visit the company’s web site at http://www.estella-nyc.com.

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