Bras Direct begins relaunch with direct marketing push

Bras Direct, the short-lived lingerie home shopping venture, which ceased trading last December, relaunches next Monday with a direct marketing campaign aimed at previous customers.

A spokesman says Bras Direct has managed to secure supplies of all major lingerie and hosiery brands, including Gossard, Wonderbra, Playtex and Berlei, following a 1m refinancing. Orders will be supplied from directly held stock.

“The catalogue is going out in a controlled way,” says the spokesman. “We expect a three-day turnaround between ordering and delivery.”

The company, which was plagued since its launch by financial problems and complaints over the slow processing of orders before its near collapse, will now operate from a dedicated warehouse and call centre in Nottinghamshire.

It aims to increase staffing at this distribution centre from 35 to 100 by January.

Sales director Philip Coltman, formerly at the Fred Perry Group, is among a handful of new recruits on a revamped management team who have invested private funds.

The company expects to roll out a more aggressive ad and promotional strategy in the new year, once systems at the re-established business have been tried and tested, says the spokesman. The marketing budgets will be tied to sales increases, he adds.

The company came to a voluntary agreement with creditors in July to settle debts. It is now headed by chairman Sam Nelson, whose retailing experience covers spells at GUS, Harrods and Next.

Bras Direct will be selling its products on a revamped Website, devised by Oxford-based Dominic Systems.