Autumn/Winter 2015 Denim Fashion Collection Growth

C&A, one of the leading fashion retail businesses in Europe, has announced the interim sales performance for its current Autumn/Winter, AW, 2015 denim fashion collection. The announcement follows an ambitious 12-month product re-engineering and business alignment project driven by C&A Europe in collaboration with its strategic partner Alvanon, the global apparel business expert.

At a joint briefing with Alvanon, C&A revealed that, to date, total turnover value for its current ladies’ AW 2015 denim range has increased by 17.4 percent compared to 2014 and the total turnover value of its entire adult denim collection is up 7.8 percent on last year. The total turnover value of adult denim is up 8.7 percent against C&A’s planned budget with ladies’ denim up 9.1 percent against plan/budget and men’s 8.3 percent against plan/budget.

Helen Walczak, head of strategic design projects and one of the key leaders of the C&A Fit Certification project, said: “We are delighted with the interim results that more than vindicate our professional and financial investment in the changes. We at C&A aim to offer style, quality and fairness through products that represent our four pillars of product design: style, craftsmanship, fit and sustainability. Therefore, we aim to continuously improve our products wherever possible through relevant partnerships. With our new fit standards developed with Alvanon, we can guarantee our customers consistent fit and size every time.

Ed Gribbin, president of Alvanon and lead consultant on the C&A project, explained: “The C&A project in terms of scope and timing is one of the most ambitious we have ever completed.” He concluded: “It has been truly inspirational to work alongside C&A’s PD&D executive team. They consistently deliver better, more targeted fashion to their customers and they deserve every success.”

In less than ten months, Alvanon analysts and business experts supplied C&A’s PD&D executive team with a comprehensive body shape analysis of its target European consumer demographic and established new technical fit standards across its Ladies Division and its new “The Denim Collection.”  Its Men’s and Kids Divisions are scheduled to be completed within the next year. Alvanon then developed and delivered new technical tools for fit evaluation and execution, such as fit mannequins and block patterns, which were rolled out across C&A’s internal product design and development teams and across its extensive supply chain. Alvanon’s team of professional development experts then devised and implemented a training program for C&A at its Dusseldorf and Brussels head offices, across its global sourcing offices and its key suppliers. The training workshops aligned and engaged internal teams and supply chain partners with the new technical standards within the context of the company’s product, brand, consumer engagement and growth objectives. 

At the end of the Ladies’ fit project, Alvanon awarded C&A with the highly respected “AlvaInside Certification,” the world’s first and only professional accreditation dedicated to apparel fit consistency. As a result of the certification, C&A now uses the AlvaInside logo and “Consistently Accurate Fit Certified by Alvanon” on specified garment labels across its AW 2015 ladieswear and adult denim ranges. 

About C&A Europe

With 1,575 stores in 21 European countries and more than 35,000 employees, C&A Europe is one of the leading fashion retail businesses in Europe. C&A Europe welcomes and provides more than two million visitors per day with good quality fashions at affordable prices for their entire family. In addition to its European stores, C&A also has a presence in Brazil, Mexico, and China.

For more information please visit: www.canda.com

About Alvanon

Alvanon was founded in 2001 when it developed a unique and innovative data-driven approach to solving the challenges of sizing and fit inherent in the apparel industry. Since that time it has evolved into a global consulting firm advising the world’s leading apparel organizations on how to align their internal teams, processes and supply chains; more intimately engage their existing and target customers; and innovate to optimize profitability and achieve their growth objectives. It has amassed a wealth of expertise across every key industry discipline including consumer analytics, concept and technical design, product development, manufacturing, quality, sourcing, planning, merchandising, distribution, marketing, e-commerce and training. Alvanon works with its clients across multiple apparel sectors in 89 countries. It operates from its head office in New York, European headquarters in London, and Asia office in Hong Kong. Alvanon also has research, development and manufacturing facilities in Dongguan and Shenzhen in China.

For more information please visit: www.alvanon.com

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