Patch-up mission
Pumpkin Patch tries again
Failed childrenswear brand Pumpkin Patch has been reborn, but an analyst says it will have to work hard to regain loyalty.
Australian online retailer Catch Group has launched pumpkinpatch.co.nz and pumpkinpatch.com.au after buying the customer base and trademark in March.
The original Pumpkin Patch business went into liquidation last year, after it failed from a combination of poor overseas sales, global competition, and an unsuccessful online strategy.
The rebooted Pumpkin Patch is offering nothing over $39.99 and free shipping on all orders on its Australian site, but New Zealand shoppers are not being offered sale items and have to pay for shipping.
The move mirrors the moves of Dick Smith electronics, which ran into financial hardship last year and was bought by e-retailer Kogan, which relaunched the brand online.
Pumpkin Patch began in New Zealand in 1994 and had 250 stores across New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and United States at its peak.
But its debt-funded expansion into the US and UK, which cost about $98m, failed, and those stores were closed in 2011.
First Retail managing director Chris Wilkinson said Pumpkin Patch’s earlier success was due in large part to its store environment and the heritage of the brand.
‘‘The lengthy hiatus between the chains demise and relaunch online will have seen some of the goodwill migrate to other labels or more value-perceived brands.
‘‘The childrenswear market is now dominated by the mass merchants and fast fashion chains like Cotton On Kid’s. They will have to work hard for Pumpkin Patch to regain market share in what’s now a very different space.’’
Catch Group chief executive Nati Harpaz said the brand was ‘‘cleaner’’ and sold top quality clothing ‘‘at a price range that’s more of a Cotton On price’’.
‘‘The logo has been refreshed and it obviously has a whole new website. The range is a little bit more modern in terms of the patterns and colours,’’ he said.
Harpaz said sales on the new site were going well so far.
‘‘We will release a new range at the end of January and have ongoing new ranges every six to eight weeks,’’ he said.
The site’s clearance section includes 30 or 40 different types of old stock left over from the old company.
‘‘We’ve had really good feedback around the product and pricing,’’ Harpaz said.
‘‘The reality is [customers] love the brand. The brand has so much loyalty so our job is to give then what they are asking for.’’
A former Pumpkin Patch employee, who did not want to be named, said Catch Group would find it hard to relaunch Pumpkin Patch because its former customers had moved on.
‘‘Customers have so much choice nowadays with well priced local clothing, as well as shopping online overseas.
‘‘Most won’t really care as they’ve probably already moved on.
‘‘It’s taken Pumpkin Patch 10 months to relaunch, Mums have already found a replacement,’’ she said.
''It's taken Pumpkin Patch 10 months to relaunch, Mums have already found a replacement.''
A former Pumpkin Patch worker
Despite loving the old brand she won’t be shopping at the new Pumpkin Patch because she can’t feel the new product before buying.
‘‘I’m unsure of the quality and that’s the issue they have with only being online. Customers can’t touch and feel.
‘‘I think other retailers offer as good as designs; the quality may not be as good but for some customers that doesn’t matter as kids grow out of things so fast.
‘‘Maybe it will be different in the Australian market as it’s bigger but I doubt it.’’
The new range is mostly made in China and India with some shoes made in Australia and New Zealand, but other than that the brand’s ties with New Zealand have been cut.
All Pumpkin Patch stores in New Zealand and Australia closed in February and Harpaz said there were no plans yet to open physical stores again.
‘‘We want to try and make sure
we have the range right. We are giving it a better look and feel to see what people like. We are experts at online design and fulfilment.’’
UK shopper Eve Heywood started buying Pumpkin Patch clothing four years ago when she had her first child. She loved that it was a New Zealand brand.
‘‘Their range of clothes was great, I always used to get compliments on my son’s clothing and people used to ask curiously where I bought it from,’’ she said.
But the new range was disappointing, she said.
‘‘I won’t be purchasing anything from them in a hurry unless it changes dramatically.’’