Thank you NINA LEKHI for sharing your thoughts! You are an inspiration to all of us at JGA, and so many others! Not only for your success, but–especially–for the heart you bring to everyone you engage with.
Store Design Weds Bag Designs! " You might have the P's of marketing in place but what about the D's that are important for a fashion brand?" Our product Design was far above the current store Design and ambience which was conceptualized many years ago. So marrying the product design and the store design was inevitable. And all this while ensuring that our loyal customers don't get confused or intimidated. In 2012 during our holiday abroad, I wondered why my daughter who was in her teens was so mesmerized by the Victoria Secrets store. She obviously didn't understand retail the way I did but had interesting comments on the ambience of Victoria Secrets and even noticed the fragrance inside! Revamping the Baggit store was not an overnight decision. Foreign brands such as Zara and Mango had entered India with their unique store formats. When Ken Nisch, chairman of JGA Inc. called us into his office in Detroit, I had taken my entire design team so all of us could learn together. Ken was surprised to see 8 of us arriving at his office! We went around New York City and Detroit over 2 days where Ken explained design elements of a variety of stores. He showed us how Abercrombie was offering 2 completely different retail experiences in 2 different cities. He also made us sensitive to their attention needed on Window displays. Not too many Indian brands regarded windows as integral to the retail experience. In terms of layout, he advised us to go for a library fitment format i.e library-style shelving as we needed to display many more products or SKU's as compared to international brands. This was exactly what the Indian consumers wanted. These metallic shelves were ingenious because the customer could view one item and all of its variations in a single glance. After all we love options and more options! Don't we? Ken suggested that our salesmen wear black blazers and the saleswomen, halter jackets. He also told us to paint our front wall a bright orange to attract customers walking outside. There was a glow light on the floor of every shelf to accentuate the bags on the lower level which are often missed. Our predominant brand colour changed from browns and white to a lovely orange. Overnight we had an international look which was well received by our customers and got us many more walk- ins. The right combination of the 'easy to view and access' shelves and the refined international look made sure that our customers don't get intimidated but feel a sense of pride while exploring the store. "Marriage is all about the right combination of 2-3 contrasting ideas that culminate into something that binds all of it together!" And that's exactly what we did when we redesigned the Baggit store. #baggit #baggitstores #ninalekhi #entrepreneur #bosslady #shemeansbusiness #womenwholead #kennisch #newyorkcity #Detroit
