Why a Multi-Brand Store?

PETER MILLAR HAS FOUND SUCCESS BY OFFERING A FULL RANGE OF QUALITY MENSWEAR OPTIONS. BY BRIAN SCOTT LIPTON

HEAD TO TOE

It all started with a cashmere sweater and a lawn bowling ball. Such are the origins of Peter Millar, which began 15 years ago producing the former and taking its name from the latter. Since then, it has grown into one of the most successful men’s apparel brands, offering up a wide range of tailored clothing, casual sportswear, and luxury and performance golf attire.

“The breadth of the brand today is one of our success secrets,” says Scott Mahoney, chairman and CEO. “We believe that a man can be dressed head to toe our in clothes for the entire day, whether they’re in business, playing golf, or attending a cocktail party. The truth is, what we really want is for our customer to wear at least one piece of Peter Millar every day.”

While that sounds like a tall order, there are plenty of men who do just that. “People really like wearing our clothes; that’s what we hear from our stores,” says Mahoney. “And it’s fine if that’s just a shirt, or if it’s a suit. Seeing someone in Peter Millar is validation for everything we do.”

Clearly, the company works incredibly hard to keep its customers interested. “We visit mills all around the world, we use factories from Europe and the Far East who work quickly, and we keep on top of fresh ideas so that we can always have exciting new products for our specialty store cus-

tomers,” he says. That doesn’t mean, however, that the company is obsessed by what’s “hot.” “We don’t chase trends,” says president Scott Ruerup. “Being based in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, we’re not jaded and don’t let ourselves be guided by the whims of one group of people. We know we have lots of different types of consumers, and our job is to serve them.” Indeed, Peter Millar takes great pride in doing whatever it takes to keep its clients happy. “There’s an incredible culture in our company about customer service,” says Ruerup. “We can do 24-to-48-hour turnaround on special orders. We can ship one pair of pants if we have to. We appreciate every sale. We take nothing for granted.”

Moreover, as Ruerup points out, they have continued to supply product to the same upscale specialty stores and golf clubs year after year, often creating lifelong partnerships. “That’s one of our biggest messages, that our distribution does not change,” he says. “We’re not like other brands, and we don’t want to be.”