Penneywise
Much-loved global retail superpower will wow fans in new TV documentary
“GORGEOUS top, where’d you get it?” “Penneys, hun.”
It’s a conversation that’s gone into the cultural consciousness, due to the phenomenal success of the Irish store that went from one outlet to a global brand.
Now a new RTE documentary series Inside Penneys looks at the secrets of its success.
The programme reveals how getting ahead of trends and knowing the customer is how it stays on top.
For example, Barbie was the number one trend in Penneys last year, according to its trendspotters.
Barbiemania broke out after the record-breaking movie – but Penneys was well ahead of the curve.
Head of fashion trends for womenswear John Mccormack and head of buying for beauty Kelly-ann Carroll got in on the vogue for Barbiecore and hot pink and pastels early on.
This eye for what their customers want is part of the superstore’s secret.
Kelly-ann said: “Sometimes a trend bubbles and there’s longevity to it – and I’ve to decide if it’s going to go more mass market.
BUBBLING
“We had The Barbie Effect right across the business.”
The RTE fly-on-the-wall doc talks to the buyers, trendsetters, obsessive customers and generations of families working there across a busy summer.
Aoife Meehan followed her brother and sister into a job at Penneys.
Mags Bennet’s daughter Isabel, 21, a baby when Mags started there, is now funding college with a job at the retailer.
From modest beginnings at Arthur Ryan’s Dublin flagship store in 1969 to global retail superpower, Penneys is one of Ireland’s greatest success stories.
It has over 75,000 staff across over 430 stores in 16 countries, from Mary Street in Dublin to Milan, and from Cork to Brooklyn. It has 1,200 employees at its HQ in Arthur Ryan House on Dublin’s Parnell Street.
Kelly-ann has worked for Penneys and Primark for 17 years. Tiktok and Instagram hadn’t even been invented when she began but now they dictate her team’s future trend picks.
She said: “There are new trends always bubbling on Tiktok and Instagram daily and that changed the landscape most.
“We’re always following those trends and reviewing them to decide what will be on shelves in 6/12 months’ time.
“In a post-covid world our skincare accelerated as so many customers were at home thinking about their skin and doing self-care.
“We couldn’t have anticipated but what’s emerged in 18 months is how much our customers are invested in the skin. They want to showcase that and enhance it.
“Celebs Sofia Richie and Hayley Bieber’s glowing look emerged. It’s a trend we call the blush rush. We’ve seen the ‘skin-ification’ of hair. Now people think of scalp and hair health.”
So what makes Penneys such a popular household name that never goes out of fashion – and how do they keep it so cheap?
Kelly-ann insisted the success is not about inventing the wheel but rolling with it.
She added: “We can see what’s bubbling, we’re with the customer and always thinking of what they want, when they want it.
“We know our customers very well and embrace what we think they will love.”
Penneys and Primark customers are knowledgeable about health and beauty. Kelly-ann added: “We have 350million views linked to Tiktok.
“What are they telling us? We’re not pioneers but we’re moving with our customers and where they’ll be in a year and bring it at the best value. We buy in bulk and can negotiate best prices for our customer.
“I look to my team and if they’re talking about something that tells me that is going to be big in 6-12 months’ time. Our job is to make an informed leap of faith of that.”
Inside Penneys airs at 8.30pm tonight on RTE One.