Wai Fu Group Timberland Pushing Children'S Clothes Again, Eager To Create New Engine Of Achievement

Timberland, one of the largest clothing companies in the world, once again "reinvented" after refurbishing women's clothing.

In May 30th, the Beijing Commercial Daily reporter found in Timberland Tmall flagship store that its children's clothing products had been online.

However, in the official website and some offline shops, children's clothing was not seen.

As part of its business performance is not ideal, the group has restructured its business.

But in the first two quarters of fiscal year 2019, the group's outdoor brands The North Face and Timberland were still single digit and negative.

According to the insiders, Timberland is playing the role of rhubarb boots, and now it is not suitable for the market development now.

Timberland will introduce children's clothing to China and test the water online. It also reflects that Timberland hopes to create a new engine of growth.

Children's wear at Tmall flagship store

In May 30th, the Beijing Commercial Daily reporter found that Timberland had already sold many kinds of children's clothing and children's shoes products in Tmall flagship store, and it had been classified and displayed with T-shirts, men's wear, women's wear, men's shoes, women's shoes and other products.

In the official website of Timberland, children's wear, children's shoes and other products have not been shown.

But since the children's clothing was first launched on its Tmall flagship store, children's wear and children's shoes didn't show up in Timberland's official website.

At the same time, in the official flagship store of Timberland Jingdong, there were only 3 children's shoes on the line, and the search for children's clothing showed no product that was found.

As of 18 May 25th, Timberland Tmall flagship store had 56 children's wear lines and 52 children's shoes.

The price of children's clothing is 178-959 yuan, and the price of children's shoes is 248-1190 yuan.

Compared with Timberland adult products, perhaps the sales of children's products are not eye-catching because they are just on the line.

As of press release, there are still many products sold zero.

In children's shoes, 31 products are sold to zero, accounting for 59.6% of the total line of children's shoes. In children's clothing, there are a total of 40 products sold to zero, accounting for 71.4% of the total online children's products.

It is noteworthy that Timberland is not the first to launch children's clothing products.

At the end of 2018, it was reported that Timberland listed new children's clothing in 2018 fall and winter, providing three themes, including "Urban Renaissance", "urban exploration" and "warm winter" series.

The news also pointed out that the selection of all children's clothing products listed in autumn and winter in 2018 is based on the choice of fabric materials, the commitment to the earth's environmental protection, followed by functional persistence, the special function of adult shoes and children's series, and finally the design of the exterior, starting with the most fashionable style of leisure and sports, and interpreting the whole series.

The Beijing Commercial Daily reporter saw from Timberland Tmall flagship store that some Timberland children's coats, sweaters and cotton clothes were displayed as new products for the new season.

Cheng Weixiong, general manager of textile and clothing management expert and Shanghai Liang Qi Brand Management Co., Ltd., at that time, Timberland introduced the children's clothing into the Chinese market. It is seen that the Chinese children's wear market is mature.

However, there is still a lack of specialization, personalization and high-end brands in China's children's wear market.

Timberland's opening up China market is mainly driven by price rather than function driven and brand driven, which is also its core competitiveness and advantages.

Actions continue to "make up lessons" negative growth

The industry believes that Timberland from Tmall online children's clothing products, in fact, is testing the water market.

Timberland can analyze the market demand through the big data provided by Tmall, which is more direct and effective contact with consumers than offline store operation.

Song Qinghui, a famous economist, said: "the domestic children's clothing market is nearly saturated. Timberland has recently started to exert its strength in the domestic children's clothing market. It is too late. The main reason for Timberland's water test children's clothing is its continued performance in the parent company's prestige group in recent years."

Data show that as of March 2019 compared to the 12 months of March 2018, the The North Face and Timberland of Wai Fu Group's outdoor brands grew by a single digit and a negative number respectively.

The two quarter sales growth of Vans brand of Wei Fu group was 26% and 35% respectively.

In fact, in order to boost Timberland performance, in 2016, Wei Fu Group changed the president of Timberland brand and appointed Jim Pisani as the president of Timberland global brand to replace the Stewart Whitney left in July.

Before personnel changes, Timberland was the weakest among the three largest brands in the group.

Timberland growth slowed sharply, or even 7% negative growth in the two quarter.

As of the two quarter of June 30th, the Timberland market in the Americas showed a high double-digit decline, while the Asia Pacific market had a high single digit declines, and the European market only had low double-digit growth.

In order to boost performance, analysts Steve Rendle analyzed in 2017 that there was still a long way to go before the performance of outdoor sports brands such as The North Face and Timberland returned to their original level.

Among them, Timberland development mainly focuses on expanding its product line, and will launch products that can adapt to all kinds of weather.

Steve Rendle also pointed out that Timberland will resume growth in the autumn of 2019.

In addition, Timberland announced in early 2019 that Asian award-winning singer, actor and Willber Pan as fashion icon became the brand spokesperson of the Asia Pacific region in 2019, further promoting the brand's sustainable development design concept in Asia, and promoting the brand's "Nature Needs Heroes" theme activity in 2019.

200 billion yuan big cake under the expectation

Most consumers are not strangers to Timberland.

Its flagship "rhubarb boots of lifetime" was first founded in 1918 in Boston, a professional shoe company.

In 1952, Nathan Swarts, the founder of the company, acquired 50% of the Abington footwear company.

In 1955, Nathan bought the rest of the stock and took over the company from its second generation and became the most successful Footwear Company in the United States in the next 10 years.

In 1973, the Swartz family launched the first pair of real sense waterproof boots, named "The Timberland".

In 1978, the company officially changed its name to The Timberland Company.

In 2011, Timberland was acquired by VF group and renamed Timberland LLC.

At present, Timberland mainly designs advanced leisure footwear, clothing and accessories for men, women and children.

Another Timberland PRO product line is designed to provide professional footwear and apparel for industrial customers.

In addition to Timberland's own retail outlets, the global sales network is also sold through independent retailers, famous department stores and sporting goods stores.

In 2010, Timberland's total global income was $1 billion 400 million.

In 2012, Timberland's total sales volume was $1 billion 500 million.

Timberland launched the domestic children's wear market and saw the bonus under the "two child policy". The market for children's wear was further expanded.

According to the statistical data of the market demand and investment forecast analysis of China's high-end children's clothing industry released by the prospective industry research institute, the market size of children's wear industry in China has reached 96 billion 400 million yuan in 2011, showing a rapid growth trend year by year.

In 2012, the market size of children's wear industry in China was 100 billion market scale.

As of 2017, the market size of children's wear industry in China increased to nearly 160 billion yuan. At the same time, the report predicted that the market size of children's wear industry in China will exceed 200 billion yuan in 2022, and the market size of children's clothing industry in China will reach 218 billion 300 million yuan in 2023.

"Compared with The North Face, blackyak, Columbia and other outdoor brand children's clothing business, Timberland children's clothing is rarely known.

In the future, Timberland wants to borrow children's clothing to improve its performance, and it needs further integration in products and marketing. "

Insiders said.

Cheng Weixiong pointed out that the future layout of China's Timberland market should be more in the second tier market, and there must be some pressure to go deep into the three or four line cities. This is also the market performance of children's wear brand differentiation.

Author: Qian Yu Bai Yang