Assia Benmedjdoub reports on the latest venture from Specialty Fashion Group.
There is a queue forming outside a womenswear store in Wetherill Park, Sydney.
It is 10:00am on a Thursday morning and the site is located 34 kilometers outside the central business district.
Specialty Fashion Group (SFG) CEO Gary Perlstein acknowledges this is an unusual set of circumstances.
The women lining the entrance however, are also not the typical fashion customer.
“You don’t get an opening like this outside the youth space,” he says. “This is normally a H&M or Topshop open. The customer here is forgotten - not any more.”
Perlstein is discussing One Woman, the latest venture from a retail group comprising six brands and over 1,000 retail stores.
His vision has been gestating for three years, after he flagged the need for a differentiated retail concept to stand on the world stage.
One Woman is a curated offer of existing SFG labels including Millers, Rivers, City Chic, Crossroads, Autograph and Katies.
The concept, however, is a radical departure for the group.
Inside the store, there are lounge areas for partners, commissioned artworks, style consultants and double sized fitting rooms with service buzzers.
A flock of 5,000 origami birds dangling from the ceiling lead customers through the 750 square metre space.
“There is no other concept like this in the world, where a woman of a certain size or age can have something just for her,” Perlstein says, after cutting the ribbon with Fairfield City Mayor Frank Carbone.
“There is no kidswear, no menswear, it’s just what we refer to as a sanctuary of transformation. There are more women in our age and size demographic than in the youth market and yet our customer is the silent majority.”
Heading up the new venture is Rebecca Link, former general manager at Forever 21, APG & Co and concessions manager at David Jones.
Link is backed by another recent recruit to the group, Tony Brown, who joined in January with a suite of experience from the UK retail market.
“It’s a very small, separate department of three specifically dedicated to One Woman, so everyone’s chipping in,” Perlstein says.
“Besides those three dedicated staff, we’ve had a creative team that’s been involved in our Millers re-creation and other brands as well.
“That’s been part of the secret herbs and spices. We’ve had top individuals come out of Europe, consultants in the business to help bring it to life.”
Perlstein is referring to a broader brand rejuvenation program across the entire business; one that is ongoing across brands such as Millers, Katies and Rivers.
Since 2013, new leadership teams, store concepts, advertising campaigns and collections have rolled out across core labels.
In fact, a day prior to the launch of One Woman, Katies debuted its new ‘Luxe’ premium capsule at high-end restaurant Chiswick, in Sydney.
The range, hot on the heels of a new sportswear-inspired line ‘Move’, is available exclusively online with wool, cashmere and leather pieces exiting at $299.95.
There is also the group’s plus-size label City Chic, which has made serious in-roads into the global market this financial year.
The brand has rolled out across 100 Macy’s locations, 60 Nordstrom stores and commenced trials in the UK with Evans.
“Part of our South African journey will be to take a large-format store like One Woman over there,” Perlstein says.
“Retailers in South Africa generally operate in an emporium style so we want to refine this and get it right before we go.”
While no further locations have been announced, Perlstein confirms One Woman is in negotiations with landlords.
The current emphasis is on refining the concept, even if the publicly listed company is under financial imperatives.
In announcing its half year results to December 2015, SFG reported a revenue rise of 5.2% to $434.3 million on the previous corresponding period.
More importantly, comparable store sales were 5.7% across the group.
“I know One Woman will make the revenue to roll out but it’s about achieving micro KPIs around customer satisfaction,” Perlstein says.
“Retail has changed and there is a new world order where these KPIs are the only way to survive.”
This is where Perlstein’s wife, Marnie, comes in. This is the first time the pair has collaborated on a project since he established the business in 1993.
Marnie, in partnership with One Woman, has developed a unique styling program for store staff.
Two days prior to the Wetherill Park store opening, a group of women were invited to put the program into action. Six customers on a closed Facebook page called Inner West Mums were selected.
After reaching out to the group, Marnie made the decision to bring in a organisational psychologist.
“Every single one of them had a story more heartbreaking than the one before,” she says. “People have issues, especially out west, and time is a commodity no-one has, especially if they’re doing it tough.
“A key component of training the staff was around bias and not having a preconceived bias when a customer walks through the door. Not judging someone, how to be an effective listener and how to explore their own issues so they can cope with someone else’s.”
In addition to maintaining a personal journal, staff were also required to undertake group training sessions.
Perlstein is now committed to rolling out the initiative across future stores.
“It is difficult to do this in small-box retailing but this kind of comprehensive training is important for a big, multi-brand store.
“The staff learned about dressing women for body shapes and learning how to emotionally connect with them.”
The final piece in the new retail offering is the rollout of the 1 Woman Foundation. Since December 2015, the foundation has donated 15,000 new items of clothing to women in need via 20 charities.
One Woman will be the first concept under Specialty Fashion Group to sell 1 Woman Foundation products. These include branded water bottles, with proceeds directed at the charity project.
“The donations are ongoing and our ultimate goal is to give away one million garments,” Perlstein says.
If the first day turnout opening paints a telling picture, One Woman might soon beat similar predictions.