Debenhams becomes first high street retailer with complete mobile package

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:59:32 GMT

Debenhams has announced the launch of its new mobile-enabled site, allowing customers to access the website and shop on their mobiles, as and when they need, becoming the first on the high street to offer a complete mobile package across all mobile technologies.

This follows a clear demand from customers with traffic from the Debenhams website accessed from mobile phones increasing by a massive 225% from August 2011 compared to the same time last year.

Complementing the existing Debenhams app on the iPhone, Android and Nokia as well as an iPhone app for the Beauty Club loyalty scheme, the new Debenhams mobile site means that Debenhams is now fully mobile - with a mobile offering suitable for every handset available on the market and the first high street retailer to offer a complete range of mobile offerings - combining mobile apps and a designated mobile site.

The Debenhams mobile site was developed entirely in house and offers the full functionality of the website including store locations and opening hours when on the move. Customers can also watch Debenhams TV through YouTube as well as become a fan on Facebook through the mobile site.

Simon Forster, director for Debenhams.com said: "Mobile continues to form a large part of our digital strategy, as an area which shows no sign of slowing down. We have seen a clear demand for shopping on the go. The addition of the m-site to our mobile offering means that no customer is excluded."

Debenhams is also championing new technology linked to smartphones, with the addition of initiatives such as Aurasma, bringing together TV and print media, and virtual shopping with the integration of QR codes into smaller stores in order to extend the range on offer.

In the first six months, the Debenhams iPhone app has been downloaded over 500,000 times and has taken over £1million in sales.

About Debenhams:
Debenhams is a leading department stores group with a total of 167 stores in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark.

It offers a wide range of products across menswear, women's clothes including dresses and skirts, childrenswear, lingerie, accessories, health and beauty, homeware and gifts.

Trading from over 12 million square feet of space, Debenhams employs nearly 29,000 people. In addition, it has 61 international franchise stores in 24 countries around the world.

Debenhams customer offer encompasses a unique combination of own brands, international brands and concession brands. Own brands comprise own label brands - such as Red Herring, Mantaray, Maine New England, Debut and Bluezoo.

Designers at Debenhams, an exclusive portfolio of diffusion brands from internationally known fashion designers includes lines from Jeff Banks, Jasper Conran, John Rocha, Henry Holland, Betty Jackson, Julien Macdonald, John Rocha, Ben de Lisi, Erickson Beamon, Lisa Stickley, Eric Van Peterson and Matthew Williamson. Ranges from Jonathan Saunders, Jonathan Kelsey, Roksanda Ilincic and Preen are also available in the newly introduced Edition boutique in selected stores.

Debenhams launches autumn advertising campaign

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:41:45 GMT

Debenhams has unveiled a new multi-million pound marketing campaign for Autumn/Winter 2011.

Starring designers Julien Macdonald, Ben de Lisi, John Rocha and for the first time, Henry Holland, the autumn campaign follows the successful spring launch of Debenhams' first brand campaign for four years.

Richard Cristofoli, Marketing Director at Debenhams said: "The spring campaign was successful - dresses featured in the advert saw sales double and our Reger by Janet Reger lingerie sales increased by 300%.

"Furthermore, the spring campaign was vital in reminding customers about the unique relationship Debenhams has with some of the biggest names in fashion. We've learnt from the spring ad and autumn represents the first significant evolution for the campaign."

Now under the banner 'Life Made Fabulous', Debenhams has developed the concept further and is confident of a positive response to match if not exceed, the previous season.

Each advert opens with a designer in their studio, adding the finishing touches to a garment. The transition moment is a close up of the product before the scene shifts to the same item being worn and enjoyed in real life situations.

All adverts feature the campaign strap line 'Life Made Fabulous with Designers at Debenhams', with the voice of the campaign coming from Billie Piper of 'Belle du Jour' fame.

Richard continued: "Featuring big name designers that have been working with us for over ten years as well as some of the new additions like Henry Holland, this campaign tells the story of a Designer at Debenhams garment in an upbeat and beautifully shot series of adverts.

"We have secured some fantastic prime-time slots to launch the campaign, including Emmerdale and the X Factor and are excited to see the reaction from our customers."

The new backing track for the campaign is 'This is the Life' by Northern Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club. The band's name came about after member Sam Halliday mispronounced the name of the local cinema, Tudor Cinema, and it stuck.

The ads will launch during Emmerdale and will feature Julien Macdonald, Ben de Lisi, John Rocha and, for the first time, Henry Holland.

In addition, Debenhams' biggest selling exclusive non-designer range Red Herring will also be featured in an advert showcasing some of the brand's most popular young fashion.

The full 40 second adverts will also run during the coveted X Factor showing following the launch.

Also supported digitally through Debenhams.com and Debenhams TV, the campaign is enhanced with exclusive interactive material such as interviews with each designer, top picks and social media activity, taking a look at how the designers work to create their collections in store each season.

About Debenhams:
Debenhams is a leading department stores group with a total of 167 stores in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark.

It offers a wide range of products across menswear, women's clothes (including dresses and skirts), childrenswear, lingerie, accessories, health and beauty, homeware and gifts.

Trading from over 12 million square feet of space, Debenhams employs nearly 29,000 people. In addition, it has 61 international franchise stores in 24 countries around the world.

Debenhams customer offer encompasses a unique combination of own brands, international brands and concession brands.

Own brands comprise own label brands - such as Red Herring, Mantaray, Maine New England, Debut and Bluezoo.

Ranges from Jonathan Saunders, Jonathan Kelsey, Roksanda Ilincic and Preen are also available in the newly introduced Edition boutique in selected stores.

Debenhams' online store is available at www.debenhams.com.

Topshop announces new collections for 2010

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:57:04 GMT

Topshop has announced details of a selection of new clothing collections to be featured in 2010.

February saw the launch of a new collection from Ashish Gupta, featuring enormous trademark studs on an inky-black sweatshirt, tracksuit bottoms and a show-stopping padded biker jacket. The relaxed, casual aesthetic of the seven piece Ashish for Topshop collection carries through onto a rolled-up grey marl tracksuit trouser and a pair of matching shorts. A cropped grey sweatshirt ties in a cute knot at the waist. The silhouette is over-sized, and the over-all effect is nonchalant.

Spring/summer 2010 sees Topshop's Oxford Circus flagship store once again playing host to EDIT, an in-store boutique showcasing a collective of young emerging designers. This will be the third season EDIT has been available in-store following two successful seasons in 2009. EDIT sees the return of Topshop's resident label KTZ, as well as the launch of several new international labels. The EDIT brands are truly global, originating from countries as diverse as Germany, Hong Kong, Sweden and the US.

Spring/summer 2010 also sees the return of Richard Nicoll with his greatly anticipated collection for Topshop, his 5th collaboration with the brand.

The ten piece collection was built around signature shapes and colours from previous collaborations with Topshop and can be defined by three palettes; 50's candy striping in blush or tobacco, grey palettes and soft tailoring in nude chino cotton. The incredible details of these pieces are influenced by cowboy and western finishes; each lapel is adorned with miniature hearts whilst the zips are miniature perspex hearts.

Mary Katrantzou, the first new designer to be added to the Topshop stable for 2010, launched her four-piece jersey collection in February, featuring the designer's distinctive bold and graphic prints that translate perfectly into her mini-collection for the high street, comprising of a body, a body-con dress and two T-shirts, all in white jersey. Each style has a different oversized jewellery print around the neckline, directly inspired by Mary’s Central St Martins MA graduate show and subsequent collections.

Louise Goldin launched her hotly anticipated first footwear collection for Topshop in time for London Fashion Week in February. The beautifully sculptured shoes were first seen on the catwalk of Louise's Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Inspiration was taken from Baroque opulence and there are two designs; the first is studded on the toe with diamante around the heel which is available in black on black or cream and gold. The second design has the reverse; studded heel and diamante toe, available in rose with crystal.

2010 also sees the partnership between colour and print master Jonathan Saunders and Topshop continuing with the launch of a denim and devore collection, which hit Topshop stores in January. Geometric shapes and block colours run throughout this five-piece collection. A denim pencil skirt and matching cropped strapless basque are in panelled denim dyed in three different jean colours. A geometric devore grid design runs down the full length of a black body-conscious full length dress, a sweatshirt and a loose-fitting jersey tee, great for relaxed urban living.

-Ends-

About Topshop
Topshop was established in 1964 and is part of Arcadia Group Ltd. Sir Philip Green became owner of Arcadia Group Ltd in 2002.

Topshop is continually recognised as being an authority on womens clothes, having won several awards for design reputation and new services, and has a wide range of womens dresses, high heels, dresses, shoes, coats, women jackets, jeans and bags.

Topshop was the first fashion retailer to show on schedule at London Fashion Week in September 2005 and continues to grow

Topshop announces return of Christopher Kane

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:37:47 GMT

Having first joined forces with Topshop in 2007, Christopher Kane returns this season with his third collaboration with Topshop. The landmark collection, which is 39 pieces strong, will be the largest Topshop Boutique collection with a designer to date.

Echoing his AW09 collection Kane's fusion of manmade embellishments creates a subversive look. Body conscious pieces in fine black gauze form the back bone of the collection and are embellished with mirrors and eyelets. This adornment features on several pieces including 50s inspired briefs which are high waisted and worn as outerwear, slim fitting leggings, a slick long sleeved dress and a high necked body with cap sleeves.

Simple garments are given an element of luxury; a black cotton shirt buttons-up to the collar to expose oversized black gems covering the neckline, a white T-shirt dress features several rows of oversized white opaque gems around the neck, sleeves and hem of the dress. Evening dresses and camisoles have a deep V to accentuate the décolletage and feature oversized jewels around the neckline. A heavy black jersey scarf is adorned with gems along the perimeter updating a winter essential.

For this collection Christopher Kane also debuts a footwear and accessories collection creating pieces which are suitably both modern and romantic. Slouch leather pouch bags are oversized and can be worn with a cross body strap, covered entirely with tiny mirrors, the bag features two large leather tassels which hang from the base of the pouch.

Rachael Proud, senior buyer for Topshop said: "What Christopher Kane has done with this collection is a really new thing for Topshop – in both the size of the range and the production of it. It's such high spec, such high quality and I really think if you saw it on a catwalk at London Fashion Week it wouldn't look out of place. It's got amazing elements of past collections but the new mirrored dresses and opaque gems on other styles just look so amazing."

The Christopher Kane range will be instore from 18 September 2009.

About Topshop
Topshop was established in 1964 and is part of Arcadia Group Ltd. Sir Philip Green became owner of Arcadia Group Ltd in 2002.

Topshop is continually recognised as being an authority on womens clothes, having won several awards for design reputation and new services, and has a wide range of dresses, shoes, jackets and bags.

Topshop was the first fashion retailer to show on schedule at London Fashion Week in September 2005 and continues to grow its reputation for supporting exciting new talent.

Top Articles Tagged with womens-clothes

Debenhams becomes first high street retailer with complete mobile package

Debenhams launches autumn advertising campaign

Topshop announces new collections for 2010

Topshop announces return of Christopher Kane