Laura Ashley Success Stories

Saks Department Store Group Creates Laura Ashley Women's Apparel Fashion shows.

Tea parties. Special shopping days with giveaway trips to London.

Those were just a few of the events Saks Department Store Group held to launch its Laura Ashley line of women's apparel in 2002. Saks went all out to make a splash. The company hired an outside marketing firm to create advertising, fashion catalogues, media kits, and special events.

"It's a worldwide brand. Saks felt we could do a great job exposing it to U.S. market," says Barbara Evans, vice president of product development for Saks. "It filled a void in our stores - that customer niche of baby boomer women looking for career casual with feminine details and beautiful fabrics. It wasn't something you usually found in the traditional department store venue."

Since then, Saks has continued to refine its offerings, reinforcing the fresh, modern feel of today's Laura Ashley designs. Saks hold the license for ladies' apparel in all categories, including petite, missy, and women's sizes. The blouses, dresses, pants and other products are exclusive to Saks Department Store Group and are available in about 40 states. Stores include Carson Pirie Scott, Bergners, Proffitts, Boston Store, Younkers, Herbergers, McRae's, and Parisian.

The proof of Saks' success is in the profits. Saks enjoyed double-digit increases with its Laura Ashley collection in spring 2004.

Stand Out in the Market

Ten years ago, even five, most carpet manufacturers offered what Ralph Boe calls "straight vanilla" carpets.

"There was not a lot of imagination and design to them," he says.

But Beaulieu Group LLC, the third largest carpet manufacturer in the world, wanted to distinguish itself from its plain vanilla competition.  And so in 1998, the company became a Laura Ashley licensee.

"We wanted to take a name that was readily identifiable by the consumer, especially female consumers, and tie that to higher-style products," says Boe, president of Beaulieu, headquartered in Dalton, Ga.

The company has added new designs to its Laura Ashley Home Collection each year, offering about 40 products in all.  "It's been really great from the start and has continued to build," Boe says. The top sellers are beautifully patterned carpets made primarily from nylon.

Laura Ashley has been a way for Beaulieu to differentiate its business, both from other lines it markets and from competitors.  "It's for the more discerning buyer," Boe says. "The price points are a little higher. People who use more highly styled products also tend to have a higher level of confidence. They are willing to make a statement in their homes."

Boe expects Laura Ashley will continue to grow as the company's preeminent, top-of-the-line product.

Laura Ashley Brand Excels for Hollander Home Fashions

Laura Ashley has built a long and loyal following in home design. That track record encouraged Hollander Home Fashions Corp. to become a Laura Ashley licensee. It's proven to be a smart decision.

Hollander holds the license for Laura Ashley bedding items, including pillows, pillow protectors, down comforters, down throws, featherbeds, and mattress pads. In one major specialty retailer the Laura Ashley Home bed pillow is the number-one best selling pillow.

"In the basic bedding area, a good license comes from a good fashion presence on the retail shelves. A familiar product such as a bed pillow or mattress pad becomes much more interesting if it can be associated with a brand that elicits positive feelings in a consumer," says a company spokesperson.

Hollander distributes its Laura Ashley products in a diverse array of stores, including department stores such as Marshall Fields, specialty stores such as Bed Bath and Beyond, and mass market stores, such as Marshall's. The product line is tailored to give each distribution channel a different product construction and packaging format.

Hollander is excited about the brand's performance. It is felt that Laura Ashley bedroom products have done very well over the years, so the brand has garnered a very good awareness. It has a certain heritage that is consistent with quality and value and style.

Best-Selling Product on the Floor

David Martino faced a dilemma. His sleepwear company, Russell-Newman Inc., was doing well with its Tommy Hilfiger line. But the line wasn't fulfilling a certain need in the market. "We were missing a very romantic, beautiful, more classic styling,"Martino says.

The solution? Laura Ashley. Russell-Newman became a Laura Ashley licensee in 1999. Since then, the line has exceeded all Martino's expectations, including a full-page spread and favorable recommendation by Real Simple magazine last year. "Retailers tell us it's the best-selling product on their floors in this particular niche," he says.

Laura Ashley embarked on a corporate restructuring in fall 2002, deciding to focus on licensing as its core business. The results have been remarkable. Current successful licensing partnerships span a wide range of products. The primary licensee categories are fashion and home furnishings.

Strong in Every Economy

Laura Ashley has helped companies in a down market. Kincaid Furniture Company debuted its Laura Ashley line of bedrooms, dining rooms, and upholstered furniture in 2001. "We rolled it out when the industry was suffering through its worst luck in 12 years," says President Steve Kincaid. "It's surpassed our expectations. The fact that we were able to launch a new brand and have it do well speaks well for the collection.

"Everyone knows about the Laura Ashley brand. They know it stands for good quality and it's very stylish," Kincaid says. "The Laura Ashley folks have done a really good job of protecting the brand. You see some brands that are almost on every product at every price point. Laura Ashley hasn't done that."