vision statement Our vision of creating an enjoyable shopping experience for men will be achieved by making our store visually pleasing to the “Alexander’s Man.” Our store aesthetic is industrial and rugged, while still radiating luxury. The store design features simple fixtures with limited product on each to extenuate the clothing. The space will have brick walls and light fixtures made of rope, as well as string hanging from wall to wall displaying our wide variety of sneakers. Alexander’s will consist of two separate rooms: one for showing merchandise and the other for fitting appointments. Both rooms will be staffed with knowledgeable stylists providing exceptional customer service.
mission statement At Alexander’s, our mission is to change the way men feel about shopping. We are a contemporary menswear boutique that understands a man’s complaints when it comes to shopping. Men don’t want to spend time trying on clothes when they’re not sure how the pieces will fit. At Alexander’s our expert stylists pull pieces from our collections based on specific build, stature, and skin tone while you relax with the guys and sip on our complimentary top shelf scotch. Stylists assist in proper fitting in order to ensure that the garments fit correctly. Alexander’s showroom is open to the public, however fitting sessions are by appointment only so our customers are never left waiting for assistance. We’ve created a hassle free shopping experience for men that is truly one of a kind. Our company is 50% product and 50% service, which is sure to relieve men of the frustration they feel when shopping.
o Our goal is to change the way men feel about shopping o Expert stylists fit and style the clients to perfection o Relax and sip on complimentary scotch while waiting for custom fitting o Fittings available by appointment only
company/concept statement
culture Alexander’s makes the client feel as if he’s the most important man in the world. Our extremely knowledgeable stylists fit each man to perfection giving them the sense that the clothes were made just for them.
the
customer
customer profile
o Male o Age: 20-35 o Income: $75,000-$150,000 o Family Status: Single/Married o Occupation: Fashion Industry/Club Promoter/Celebrities o Urban
competition
direct
indirect
o Upscale Men’s Contemporary Boutique o Simple & rugged aesthetic o Neutral color pallet [grey, black & white] o The Boutique will be very simple, monochromatic and industrial
will appear on all the tags, bags and signage o Font- aIRmAX90
branding
product/service/merchandise assortment clothing
o
denim
•
hoodies & sweats
•
o accessories
outerwear
•
o bags & leather goods
pants
• •
o shoes
shorts
•
• sneaker shop
sweaters
•
categories
shirts
•
tees
•
swim
clothing designers @ o Givenchy
o Rag & Bone
o Rick Owens
o Maison Martin Margiela
o Julius
o Ann Demeulemeester
o Helmut Lang
o Belstaff
o Comme Des Garcons
o McQ Alexander McQueen
o Play by Comme Des Garcons o T by Alexander Wang o Public School
o Band of Outsiders o Dries Van Noten
givenchy
ann demeulemeester
t by alexander wang
rick owens
helmut lang
public school
accessory designers @ o Alexander McQueen
o Just Don
o Ann Demeulemeester
o Lanvin
o Balenciaga o Balmain o Band of Outsiders o Bottega Veneta
o Maison Martin Margiela o Rag & Bone o Ray-Ban
o Comme Des Garcons
o Rick Owens
o Dries Van Noten
o Saint Laurent
o Givenchy
o Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme
o Jil Sander
accessories
saint laurent
just don alexander mcqueen
givenchy
ann demeulemeester
sneaker designers @ o Alexander McQueen
o Pierre Hardy
o Ann Demeulemeester
o Play By Comme Des Garcons
o Comme Des Garcons o Balmain o Balenciaga o Giuseppe Zanotti o Givenchy o Nike
o Prada o Rick Owens o Saint Laurent o Y-3 o Maison Martin Margiela
sneaker shop
balenciaga
maison martin margiela
saint laurent
pierre hardy
givenchy
comme des garcons
maison martin margiela
rick owens
balenciaga
bags & leather goods designers @ o Alexander McQueen o Alexander Wang o Balenciaga o Ann Demeulemeester o Belstaff o Bottega Veneta o Comme Des Garcons o Givenchy o Dries Van Noten o Maison Martin Margiela o Rag & Bone o Saint Laurent
bags & leather goods
planagram
dĂŠcor & visuals @
e-business
o Instagram, the Alexander’s website, Facebook, and Pinterest will be used to promote the store o Clothing is all about the visual aesthetic of the product we are selling o Our Pinterest will feature boards with each of our designer’s collections for each season, as well as street style that relates to the “Alexander’s Man” o Instagram- promotions & new product o The Alexander’s website drives 30+% of our business featuring all of the product we carry in store
marketing o Bucktown o Merchandise ranges anywhere from $150-$3,000 o Promotions- Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and E-mails o Alexander’s periodically teams up with Chicago women’s boutiques of the same caliber to drum up new business [p45,Scotch and Soda, etc.]
o Advertisements would be featured on bus stops, billboards on sides of buildings (seen from the over-ground El trains)and poster plastered all over the city
organizational culture The Culture of Alexander’s is to remain cool, calm, and collected at all times. Alexander’s has a laid back environment. The staff members are always friendly and extremely knowledgeable while refraining from coming off as pushy or judgmental.
management & leadership style At Alexander’s we will have a democratic management system. Since our employees are part of our target audience, we use their input to innovate and grow as a retailer. Managers will set sales goals for employees that must be achieved east month in order to make commission and be eligible for bonuses. The possible sales bonuses are used as motivation for selling as much as possible. Even though Alexander’s is on a competitive commission pay structure, the laid back atmosphere is still easily attainable.
organizational management structure o 1 general manager that handles all financial responsibilities o 1 selling manager to oversee the 5 sales associates o 1 stock manager that is in charge of stock inventory
location fact sheet
o Our location will be in the up-and-coming neighborhood Bucktown on Damen Ave., where the population of well-off 20 something's is rising. o We will be leasing a 2,500 sq. foot building in a central business district. The building is $40/square foot, rent= $8,333/month
human resources policies ethics o Alexander’s is committed to conducting business in a manner that is ethical while promoting the best interest of its associates and clients o To ensure that our ethical standards are upheld, our employees will go through a two week long training session, which will include videos, handbooks, and verbal instruction from the general manager o Employees will be assigned a locker and a lock to keep their belongings in during their shifts. o STEALING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED
o
Employees must be checked out at the end of each shift
o
The check out procedure involves clocking out, followed by being escorted to the front of the store by a manager, who will thoroughly check all belongings brought into the store at the start of the day
o
If an associate is caught stealing, employment will be terminated immediately
o
As for third-party stealing, all employee’s will be trained on how to deal situations involving theft [see loss prevention & security]
human resources policies hourly rates and bonuses o All employees will be full-time associates o Associates will be given a monthly sales goal to reach o Goals will range from $20,000-$40,000 a month depending on the size of the associate’s client books o If the sales associate reaches their assigned goal, they will receive 6% commission. o If this sales goal is not met the employee will make an hourly pay of $13-20/hour based on previously determined draw rate o General Managers will work on a salary of an average of $65,000/year o Selling and stock managers will also work on salary making an average of $45,000/year
human resources policies training
employee discounts o Alexander’s employees will receive a $1,000 clothing and accessory allowance at the start of each season o Associates will receive 30% off of full priced merchandise o Discounts will only be given to employees that have worked at Alexander’s for a minimum of 90 days
o
Alexander’s associates must go through an extensive two week long training program before they begin selling
o
First week of training-company background: The Alexander’s man, designers carried in-store and online, the sizing and fit of each line carried, and general store operations, etc.
•
o •
Second week of training:
Takes place on the selling floor where the selling manager will walk the new employees through the inventory and the selling process from suggestive selling to point of sale
human resources policies
employee manuals o All employees of Alexander’s will be provided with an ethics manual upon employment o The manual will include our code of ethics, and lay out a code of moral conduct. o Dress code, company policies, benefits, bonuses, and discounts etc., will also be included in the ethics manual
human resources policies weekly schedule
sales plan by classification
daily sales/month
sales plans for associates
sales plans for associates operations
business hours
o Monday-Saturday: 11AM-7PM
loss prevention & security
o
o We forbid unreasonable searches, profiling, and discrimination of any kind o
Alexander’s retains one security guard on each floor and/or a loss prevention professional’s help to provide the shoppers and employees with a positive shopping environment
o
Employees must report any suspicious behavior immediately
o Sunday: 11AM-5PM
Alexander’s prohibits profiling
sales plans for associates service levels
layaway o Online Shopping • If shipping an item bought at Alexander’s, clients must pay a 30% down payment, and the rest before the 60day layaway period is completed
layaway terms & conditions
o
Layaway period- Orders must be placed on layaway for a maximum period of 60 days. Customers have the option of paying the order balance at any time prior to the completion of the 60-day layaway period
o
Payment Terms- Orders placed on layaway require a 30% down payment plus taxes
o Allowed Forms of Payment- All layaway purchases must be paid via credit card of PayPal o
Refunds- Layaway payments are non-refundable
o
Returns/Exchanges- Returns or exchanges are not accepted on layaway orders
sales plans for associates service levels
merchandise holds o Merchandise being held for clients must have an official hold slip attached, made and printed through the Alexander’s in-store POS system o Items can be held for a maximum of 24 hours, if they absolutely need to be held for longer than 24 hours, a new hold slip must be created
alterations o Many of the most common and basic alterations (shorten/lengthen plain or vented sleeves, plain bottoms of cuffs, etc.) are provided as a courtesy on full price garments o
Garments purchased online must be brought into the store to be altered
o
Alterations charges will be determined at the time the garments are fitted and pinned or chalked by our fitters
sales plans for associates service levels returns o o Merchandise presented after 30 days will be credited based on the current selling price. o Requests for adjustments will be honored if the merchandise was purchased at full price and if it is marked down within 7 days of purchase
•
In-store returns
Present the merchandise to an associate with the original tags and receipt
o Online Returns- can be done instore and by mail 1. 2.
Enclose the completed return form with your shipment Affix the pre-paid United States Postal Service Return Label to the outside of the package and send via U.S. Mail
sales plans for associates service levels
clientelling o Associates will follow a 2-2-2 system when following up with clients o 2-2-2: • Follow up within 2 days, 2 weeks & 2 months of helping a client o Immediately after helping a client, associates must send them a thank you note
customer service o Complimentary top shelf scotch, bottled water, and soda will be offered to every client that walks into the store as to provide them with the best possible shopping experience o Associates must greet and offer help to each client that walks through the doors of Alexander’s