Harrington Collection 2
Harrington Collection: Sizing Up the Active-Wear Market Harrington Collection is a manufacturer and retailer of high-end women’s clothes. It was founded in 1960 and it focused on the design and manufacturing of formal dresses. As the company evolved however, it incorporated suits, pants, blouses, coats and other professional dress items into their offerings. Harrington is divided into four divisions; Harrington Limited – sophisticated elegance, Sopra – status seeker, Christina Cole – office chic, and Vigor – trend setters. They have become synonymous with high class fashions and their customers are extremely loyal.
However, in the past three years sales have been down and the company is suffering. The women’s clothing industry has become very price sensitive and over 50% of the products are bought on sale or at a discount. This is not good for the Harrington Collection because they are a higher priced company. Blake Myers, who is the general manager of the Vigor division, knew that something had to be done to change this trend and make Harrington more profitable. His proposed that they introduce a new line of clothing which would focus on less-expensive active-wear. The active-wear market has grown a lot in the past few years so there is a lot of room for opportunity.
There are certain issues surrounding introducing a new product line that would need to be addressed. There is a chance that a new line could potentially drain resources needed for the current and signature product lines. Also, Harrington has a reputation as sophisticated and high-class and active-wear would be straying from this status.
There is also a question of competitive reaction. Two main competitors of Harrington Collection are Jones Apparel Group and Liz Claiborne. This competition would also integrate active-wear clothing their brands so Harrington would need a competitive advantage. This advantage will come from Harrington’s constant quality and timeliness of service. Most
However, in the past three years sales have been down and the company is suffering. The women’s clothing industry has become very price sensitive and over 50% of the products are bought on sale or at a discount. This is not good for the Harrington Collection because they are a higher priced company. Blake Myers, who is the general manager of the Vigor division, knew that something had to be done to change this trend and make Harrington more profitable. His proposed that they introduce a new line of clothing which would focus on less-expensive active-wear. The active-wear market has grown a lot in the past few years so there is a lot of room for opportunity.
There are certain issues surrounding introducing a new product line that would need to be addressed. There is a chance that a new line could potentially drain resources needed for the current and signature product lines. Also, Harrington has a reputation as sophisticated and high-class and active-wear would be straying from this status.
There is also a question of competitive reaction. Two main competitors of Harrington Collection are Jones Apparel Group and Liz Claiborne. This competition would also integrate active-wear clothing their brands so Harrington would need a competitive advantage. This advantage will come from Harrington’s constant quality and timeliness of service. Most