Vera Wang Set to Dress Up Kohl's

First things first. Will a big name suffice for driving business? The answer lies in the question. The name got bigger because it served a specific purpose in the consumers mind driving satisfaction.

-If this pays off will Wal-Mart and other retailers open up to more trendy clothing -Will a name be enough to drive business into the stores -Will this somehow dilute Vera Wang's name

Vera Wang apparel, accessories, and home furnishings  at Kohl's have been discussed, debated,  and analysed for months. Some experts are confident the Vera customer has never heard of Kohl's and the Kohl's customer has never heard of Vera. Well, the goods are now on the selling floor (and on sale at 30% off).  Does the line work?

The upcoming introduction of Simply Vera is a major initiative by Kohl's to update and energize a slightly tired sportswear vendor/  brand structure. This is a big development in a month chock full of major launches among key retail players: in addition to Vera Wang at Kohl's, we have the entry of Nordstrom into the Boston market; Martha Stewart hitting the selling floor at Macy's and...

1.In department stores, it is very rare that the most expensive line in a department ever does well. 2. It is unlikely that the typical Kohl's customer ever heard of Vera Wang. 3. Kohl's advertising campaign on this brand does not speak to their moderate customer base. 4. Vera Wang's designer line will not suffer and she will make some very nice short term money until Kohl's management recognizes...

1) Simply Vera ads are not targeted for Kohl's moderate customers 2) Is the brand and the line strong enough to bring in Federated's customers? 

I have been a big fan of Kohls (KSS) merchandising strategy of introducing exclusive branded merchandise since its inception. I feel this will further prompt the customer to visit Kohls, a free standing destination store. The initial Vera Wang collections may have gone too far, too fast.

Simply Vera and Kohl's are a good partnership. Kohl's has been upgrading its image for the moderate markets, and Vera Wang needs to expand market share and increase profitability. It is good for both businesses to move toward the middle in the present economic and social environment.

Brilliant move by Kohl's to counter Macy's move to private label.  Perhaps not as brilliant a move by Vera Wang: risking their brand equity and traditional clientele.

Implications: - The introduction of "Vera Vera by Vera Wang" will strengthen Kohl's campaign of "Expect Great Things" - Very Vera will increase the cache of their 4 new concepts introduced in spring. "Stamp 10 by Liz Claiborne", "Tony Hawk by Quicksilver", West End and AB studios. - Kohl's needs to be careful not to over saturate their assortment with these premium brand names as their...

    Relevant names but private label control will generate sure results for kohls in this new brand.  branded product created specifically for Kohls is like branded retail w/ a private label mentality of control.  This will be a huge success for Kohls and will follow other names as Chaps, and Daisy Fuentas which have been launched into kohls over the past few years&n...

More than the name, styling will make the difference in whether Simply Vera is successful in Kohls stores.

One of the biggest risks in merchandise strategy redirection is to move too far and too fast for your customer, and to do so in a loud and public way.  Walmart lived this experience recently, and can probably give Kohl's management some much needed advice. Upmarket shifts are about aspirational merchandising.  Identify who your customer aspires to be like, associated with, or has as her...

The news that Vera Wang is hooking up with Kohls reconfirms a few things: •Pairing a bad brand with an iconic one only leads to at best a hasty failure and at worst irreparable damage to the superior brand's reputaion.  •As hard as it is to kill a great brand, people always seem game to try •Vera Wang needs better counsel

I think this will have the same result that Wal-Mart had when they went high end. I feel Kohl's shoppers are not looking for fashion, they are buying clothes. These shoppers need clothing that will be versitile enough for school and work and also for the rare night out to a restraunt etc

1) A bold move for Vera Wang, will Simply Vera tarnish her Red Carpet designer image? 2) Does a brand name carry that much weight for low-moderate income customers?