Intertop officially entries Ukraine a new brand – The North Face

The company will open the first mono-brand outlets of the outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment American brand in early 2019.

At the 2018 end, the Intertop Ukraine portfolio, one of the leading clothing operators in Ukraine, was replenished with a strong outdoor brand – The North Face. From the next year beginning, the company will be the brand exclusive representative in our country, and it is already preparing to open new stores. Intertop Ukraine Marketing Director Valeria Tolochina told the RAU in the blitz-interview about the new brand peculiarities in the retailer’s portfolio, plans to open retail outlets and brand promotion, price range and much more. 

– Tell us about the brand that you entry the Ukrainian market: country of origin, how long does it offer. When do we wait for its appearance?

– The North Face, well-known for its innovation, offers technologically advanced products designed for both experienced climbers and athletes, as well as for outdoor lovers.

The brand history began in 1966, with the store opening in San- Francisco, and was a revolution in the outdoor equipment production and trade. The brand offers, at its development this stage, the clothing, footwear, equipment high-tech collections for outdoor activities and accessories, being a leader in innovation in its sphere.

– What is the brand mission and who is its target audience?

– The North Face’s fundamental mission has remained unchanged since 1966: “To provide better equipment for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, to support nature conservation and to inspire the global researcher’ movement”.

Accordingly, the target audience is quite wide: from professional athletes, for whom technology and innovation are crucial, to outdoor enthusiasts and casual style fans.

That is why The North Face is in the top 3 best-selling outdoor brands in almost every European country. Everybody wore these clothes in the US, even Hollywood stars and Presidents.

– In what price segment will it work?

– Medium / Medium Plus. For example, there are now in the Autumn-Winter-2018 collection hats from 899 UAH, T-shirts from 999 UAH, sweaters from 1499 UAH, jackets from 3699 UAH and shoes from 2199 UAH. At the same time, the product has the highest quality, and all innovations are tested both in our own laboratories and athletes on expeditions around the world.

– Will Intertop be the exclusive representative, or will other retailers be able to sell the brand’s products? 

– From January 1, 2019, Intertop Ukraine becomes The North Face exclusive distributor in Ukraine. The contract provides for the wholesale sales channel development besides retail, multi-and mono-brand stores opening, as well as online-trading.

– Will it be presented in own multi-brand stores, or are you planning to open separate corners / outlets?

– The clothes, shoes and accessories North Face collection is already available online at intertop.ua, as well as in the offline Intertop stores. The first mono-brand stores’ opening is scheduled for the 2019 beginning.

– Geographical coverage: where and when can we expect the stores appearance and in what format?

– Online-sales of the entire range started from the first delivery, with the delivery possibility throughout Ukraine. In addition, the collection part is already available in Intertop multi-brand stores – shoes, clothing and accessories. The “reserve” scenario works for this range part, which is very convenient for customers. When monobrand stores will be open, the service level will be even higher, since all omnichanal scenarios will be connected.

– How do you plan to promote it: will there be any marketing promotions, a separate advertising campaign?

– For 2019, the advertising campaign planned to promote the brand. Yes, The North Face is well known in Ukraine, but we want to focus on the fact that the brand has become even closer, on the sales points’ expansion and at the omnichannel model service new level.

– How often collections are updated, and how quickly will be Ukraine receive it?

–  Now The North Face produces two collections a year (spring-summer and autumn-winter), it will be appear in Ukraine according to the global calendar, as well as throughout the world.

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