Tesco boosts its fashion image
Tesco is relaunching its clothing range to boost its fashion retail credentials at a time when it is locked into its court battle with Levi’s over grey market supplies.
The supermarket will ditch the range name “Items” in favour of a T-shaped icon. It also plans to increase the price of garments and overhaul its approach to merchandising.
The icon is understood to com prise a light blue letter “T” on a dark blue background with a white “de-signed for Tesco” script over the top.
Graham Ash, Tesco clothing category manager, says customers thought the Items brand name was “meaningless”.
He adds: “We’re trying to drive the credibility of Tesco as a fashion retailer with a value message, not a blatant price one. The clothing will have the attributes of high street lines, but at supermarket value.”
Tesco wants the range, which will be available from the autumn, to compete with Marks & Spencer and Next, rather than with Asda’s George.
New merchandising managers will create an in-store fashion format to encourage browsing with packaged goods product-linked purchases and promotional tables.
Ash hopes the new format will encourage brand manufacturers to supply the supermarket.
Levi’s refused to supply Tesco with the result that it began to import goods sourced on the grey market. Levi’s then sued Tesco for trademark infringement but the supermarket launched it own action, claiming intimidatory tactics. The case continues.
