retail profiles // classy // vanity fair

In the face of an onslaught of news about retailers scaling back, Vanity Fair is planning an aggressive expansion in Europe.

Through their headquarters Igualada, Spain, the European retail division now includes 23 monobrand stores running at an average size of 864-square-feet, five corner stores and three outlets in Spain, as well as one monobrand and 18 recently-opened corner stores in Italy, 7 of which exclusively carry swimwear.
This year, they company plans to open at least 10 new stores in Spain, followed by an expansion into Portugal and France.

Additionally, according to the company, potential partners in Russia, the Middle East and Asia have "shown an interest" in the company.

Vanity Fair opened its first European store in Madrid in February 2005. The company attributes their success in part to a recent shift in European consumer habits, allowing for successful expansion of monobrand stores and an increase of mall openings.

According to the company, women have grown to view intimate apparel as a necessity, not a fashion accessory, leading them to increasingly purchase it while shopping for other apparel.

By listening to the desires of their target consumers, the company has experienced successful growth.
First established in 1919 in the state of Georgia, Vanity Fair's initial mission was to design lingerie for the "elegant and exigent woman."

During their heyday in the 60's and 70's, famous photos by Richard Avedon helped establish the company as a well-known brand within the intimate apparel industry.

Although several changes have taken place over the years, including the 2007 purchase of Vanity Fair Brands from VF Corporation by Berkshire Hathaway's Fruit of the Loom, the company's target consumer remains the same.

They design for middle to upper middle class urban women aged 25 to 45 who are "independent, sensual, modern [yet] elegant," as well as "frustrated with today's options."

In order to better reach this audience, they design intimate apparel that walks a middle ground: accessible yet elegant, classic yet modern, reasonably priced, yet of good quality.

The company's description of their brand includes the statements: "aimed at young women [but] not so young, a historic brand but not old fashioned, sexy and comfortable at the same time."

The company also boasts a wide variety of bra sizes, from 32 to 48, A cup through DXL, running at an approximate retail price of $30 in the United States.

European monobrand stores carry intimates, sleepwear, swimwear, daywear, accessories and hosiery, with a new collection arriving every two weeks.

Vanity Fair Brands' headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia and Igualada, Spain.
Owned by Berkshire Hathaway's Fruit of the Loom, brands include Gemma, Intima Cherry, Variance, Bestform, Vasarette, Majestic, Lily of France and Vanity Fair.