Currently, 40% of the swimwear and nightwear sold by Figleaves is own brand, but in lingerie the proportion is smaller at 25%.

To grow this side of the business, it is consolidating all of its own brand lingerie development under the Figleaves umbrella. Smaller lingerie brands Lulu Tout, Just Peachy and Sophina will gradually be phased out.

Meanwhile, the Figleaves brand has been refreshed, with a new logo and “more aspirational” photography.

Fiona Holmes, who has been managing director of Figleaves since March 2014, told Drapers: “When I came here I looked at what I thought differentiated us from the competition and clearly our own brand needed to be part of that formula, especially with the level of discounting in the marketplace just now.

“I don’t want us to be just where you can get a lower-price Calvin Klein or Chantelle. We want a proposition we can own and be proud of. So we set about creating a strategy where we were really clear about the Figleaves brand guidelines, and look and feel.

“Traditionally Figleaves was a channel and now we’re trying to run a brand that has a channel.”

The relaunched Figleaves lingerie brand will be stocked by Next Label for autumn 16, following a successful test with its swimwear offer for spring.

“Next Label felt like a nice fit because it doesn’t do cup-size swimwear and they’ve got 4 million customers. I think it gives us credibility in the customer’s mind.

“Now we just need to decide who else to partner with.”

As previously announced, N Brown-owned Figleaves has partnered with ecommerce solutions provider Demandware to develop a new platform, which is due to go live in early August.

The new site will allow Figleaves to capitalise on growing mobile traffic and sales.

“We had to do something – the load speed was 11 seconds, you couldn’t personalise the content, the search was awful,” explained Holmes. “Our mobile site and desktop were on different languages and only spoke to each other at basket. We were never going to make progress.”

Once it has moved to Demandware, Figleaves will offer customers click-and-collect for the first time through Post Office Local.

Figleaves has two websites, for the US and the UK. It will seek to expand into new territories in the future, but there is nothing concrete in the pipeline, Holmes said.

Holmes, who joined N Brown in 2009 as managing director of Gray & Osbourn, will leave Figleaves this autumn to join interior furnishings company Walker Greenbank. A replacement has not yet been appointed.

Source : drapersonline