Fashion victims
As crisis-hit New Look get ready to close 60 stores, ANNA BURNSIDE argues that the once mighty chain have failed to keep up with rivals
FAREWELL one in 10 branches of New Look. The fashion chain are closing eight stores in Scotland as part of a radical restructuring designed to shore up the struggling business.
Why are they struggling? The company blamed competition on the high street and online, plus the implications of Brexit.
But every clothing retailer is facing up to the uncertainties of leaving the EU. It’s New Look’s mainstream, mid-priced, mid-market fashion that has left shoppers underwhelmed.
Their young customers have migrated online, where Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing have more exciting, directional clothes, shoes and accessories for lower prices.
Their websites are masterclasses in how to press that generation’s buttons. The photography is strong, the models are diverse, it’s all about hashtags and Instagram and the world that their young customers inhabit.
The New Look website is flat and amateurish in comparison.
The older women who might once have popped into New Look have many more enticing options, often in the same street or shopping mall. Primark are 40-50 per cent cheaper. The quality is comparable and turnover is higher so there’s always something new on the rails.
That demographic are also more likely to pick up a new top or trousers for work when they are in the supermarket doing the family’s food shopping.
On the high street, Zara appeal to a much broader age. Mothers and daughters will happily comb their rails together for directional pieces, coats, tailoring and scarves.
They can get catwalk trends on to the shop floor in weeks and offer workwear options that go way beyond black polyester trousers and white shirts.
H&M, previously a very young brand, have upped their game. They’re cheaper than New Look but the fabrics and design are way ahead. They also have a confidence that makes New Look feel dowdy.
And Other Stories are for older, edgier women who can afford £79 for a pair of loafers or £110 for a silk dress.
Cos, with similar price points, serve up Scandinavian minimalism for the masses.
Monki are younger and groovier than the parent brand, full of giant florals, mad T-shirts and avocado-print socks.
This means they can target their customers accurately, rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
Unless New Look make some radical changes, these closures are unlikely to be the last.