The decision by the Van de Velde Group (leading brands – PrimaDonna and Marie Jo) to go online selling directly to consumers this year is hardly revolutionary in itself but the lack of transparency in creating their ‘omnichannel environment’ has met with fierce opposition by many of their oldest UK stockists – where the handling of this transition in trading conditions has been viewed as a ‘betrayal’ of trust and partnership.
Sally McGann, Fit to Bust (of Chapel Allerton) is the first retailer to drop the brands altogether after nearly two decades of working and developing her customer base. Speaking exclusively to Underlines, Sally commented: “I spent years building up a brand loyalty and have been a very big spender with Van de Velde on both PrimaDonna and Marie Jo for many years. I did start to offer other brands such as Empreinte but continued to stock fashion lines of Van de Velde but found them increasingly difficult to sell (with the exclusion of Deauville). There have been meetings with Van de Velde in both the north and south of England at which we asked many questions but were given no definitive answers. Attendees were extremely angry and came away feeling very undervalued for the efforts and work we have done over the years to build brand awareness.”
However what has got many retailers up in arms was the swing tags attached to garments offering a prize to the client and simultaneously to the shop if they received enough nominations relating to the independent store in question. It became apparent that this information freely supplied by independent retailers was being used by Van de Velde to contact clients directly. Other retailers speaking to Underlines anonymously feel that the company line of being ‘retail partners’ to Van de Velde is merely lip service and that they feel both naïve and disappointed that their client data has been manipulated. In the case of Fit to Bust, Sally attempted to substitute her PrimaDonna orders to Marie Jo (being easier to sell) and was told that she could only cancel with a 20% charge. Van de Velde have in fact changed their terms and conditions which has also met with great opposition at independent store level with much reduced discounts for prompt payment. In the cast of Fit to Bust as there was no flexibility Sally will take her last stock in SS2019. “I decided I had to fall on the sword … ending a 20 year relationship with this company who now seem to be calling all the shots … effectively changing our role to franchisees without any of the benefits.”
And despite some of those that Underlines interviewed attempting to take a moderate approach, this has so far been met with tepid response by Van de Velde. One shop who wished to remain anonymous reported: “As a result of them launching their own website and not knowing how this is going to affect us we have made the decision to buy in less fashion. If we do buy fashion, we are literally buying 8 brands and 4 briefs and then ordering in if and when necessary. We are also looking at alternative brands such as Empreinte and actively persuading customers to try other brands whilst they are being fitted. One customer this week went home with 2 Panache bras instead of her one usual PrimaDonna.”
The new trading practices being imposed are met by bewilderment by some including another store in the Midlands: “I was told with my last fashion order for next year that if I didn’t take x amount of pieces, I would play a 10% plus surcharge on my order – I’ve never heard of this before and am not sure what do about it really – has anyone else been told this?”. Confusion abounds as yet another retailer told Underlines: “We really feel that the Van de Velde company is not committed to smaller independents and we are now effectively in competition with them as they are not just online but also of course, own Rigby & Peller.”
The groundswell of ill feeling towards the group does not seem to have abated since the company held meetings with UK retailers. Speaking to Underlines a spokesperson from the Van de Velde Corporate Communication Team commented: “Van de Velde remains committed to actively working and cooperating with all its retail partners as we all adapt to the changing way our consumer shops in the omnichannel environment. Our retail partners have been integral in the development of our brands and we are keen to maintain and grow this partnership in the future.”
To be continued…
