Kate Newlin

Strategic business consultant and author of “Shopportunity” and “Passion Brands”

I had heard that LimitedBrands had its own shuttle service leaving from and returning to Teeterboro, but last week I had my chance to fly Air Victoria. Terrific and convenient and liberating as this part of the adventure was, it paled in comparison to the store checks I was hosted through at Easton Town Center, outside Columbus, a visual cross between Rodeo Drive and Main Street Southampton. The folks at LimitedBrands wanted me to tour its stores as wonderfully expressed at Easton. So, Victoria Secret, Bath & Body Works, C.O. Bigelow and Henri Bendel's.

Over the years, I've often talked with marketers from designer brands like Tommy and Ralph and complained about the dissonance between the consumer experiences between the high gloss of fashion advertising in pages of The New York Times’ Fashion of the Times, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, etc. and the relatively disturbing reality of seeing the same trade mark on extra-extra-large sweatshirts being worn in airports and malls. It’s extremely hard to reconcile the two images – and thus the brand image suffers. Designers are loathe to walk away from sales and the fashion press persists in showing wares in other-worldly perfection.

Victoria’s Secret, a Retail Striptease

You may then imagine my excitement to walk into the Victoria Secret and realize that no acknowledgement was made of the incredible expanding girth of American women. This is a place staffed by, photographed of and mannequin displayed for sizes two to six. There is a not a single cue that I could see that suggests there’s something in here for plus-size women. 

the net effect is a purity of the vision that is thrilling. Yes, they sell flannel pajamas, but you’d never know it if that’s what you’re looking for. However, the context makes even the flannel pajamas they do sell seem sexy to those who belong in and to the brand.

I remember working on re-imagining Jiffy Lube to appeal to women and one consumer told me, “Look, a woman in a Jiffy Lube feels exactly like a man in a Victoria’s Secret. You know you don’t belong here. You know you don’t even know the vocabulary of what to ask for. You know you’re almost certainly going to be laughed at by the sales person.”  I knew I wasn’t the Victoria Secret woman, either. And that edit does not bother me. I admire the discipline.

As I pushed forward to the discovery of each “room” within the store, it revealed itself almost as a striptease. Moving closer to the cash wrap, we moved from casual t-shirts and panties to the far more provocative wares for “intimate occasions” and then to the bathing and body lotions that don’t compete for the shopper’s Victoria Secret spend so much as complete it. The “Pink” store within the store seems a portal into the brand conversation for the college-bound dormitory denizen. All in all, a great space and brand execution.

Bath & Body Works, Good Stuff but…

Next, we went to Bath & Body Works, a fine experience, but not  particularly motivating. All good stuff, artfully arrayed, but not ultimately rising to “gotta have it” momentum. Still, I could see how for hostess gifts and those folks who define themselves by scent, a treasure trove.

C.O. Bigelow, inspired by the fusty, dusty outpost on lower Sixth Avenue, is a problem area. The lovechild of Kiehl’s and L’Occitane – with a spa in the backroom. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the spa, but I suppose with patience you could train people to think of it as the “go-to” location for massage and facials, etc. But it seemed more of a wander-around kind of place, a “just-looking” moment, rather than a destination. All those apothecary bottles. Enough.

Henri Bedel’s, a Real Surprise

Soon I came upon the real surprise and delight of my visit: Henri Bendel’s, which I’d known from its Fifth Avenue location as an exciting, confusing, specialty store with lots of designers you couldn’t pronounce and had only seen referred to in  Vogue.

This iteration of Bendel’s is focused and fabulous. One look around and you know you’re in cool, feminine accessories world. Walk around and you move beyond perusing the handbags and into consideration of buying a handbag – how cool that price is not the main visual celebration. The price tag is tucked in the bag and easy enough to get to, but the lack of screaming prices forces you to consider each bag – and then move to the discovery of the price of the one(s) you like. The second walk around and consciousness of other accessories begins to leak in: Driving gloves, bracelets, key-rings, belts…it all begins to make sense.

If I had had more time, I would have made the third loop through the store and then bought. As it was, we were heading to the HQ, so I made a mental note to go on the website and buy a bag and driving gloves as a birthday present for a great friend of mine. The next day, I indeed went on-line and found a page on the site that was as exciting and telegraphic as a page from Lucky: 10 must haves. There was the bag and the gloves. I ordered. I was really quite entranced by the brand and the vision of the glitzy Bendel’s box that the gifts would arrive in for my friend.

The next day a message on my voice mail: No bag and no gloves. Augh. Talk about a nose bleed: I was good and irritated. I had crossed this task off my list and now it was back and not just via an out-of-stock email message, but after several “order confirmation” emails, the dread phone call.

Live Sales Support to the Rescue

I got over myself after a bit and called Stephanie at the Bendel’s store on 57th Street! It was kind of exciting really: It was not a customer service rep in Columbus or New Delhi but a real person with a real name at the flagship store. Although her message had been distressing, she was able and eager to assure me that she’d checked around all the stores in the country and found a suitable replacement (same bag, different color) with driving gloves to complement. Happy again. And quite taken by the human contact.

Bottom line: A great shopportunity. If you’re ever near Columbus, make the cabby take you to Easton Town Center.