Debenhams Bluezoo Boyswear Range Report

BOYSWEAR RANGE REPORT

BLUEZOO BY DEBENHAMS PRESENTS

AUTUMN/WINTER 2019/20

INTRODUCTION This Report:

This report aims to develop a new Multi-product Childrenswear range for BlueZoo at Debenhams to launch in Autumn/Winter 2019/20. The report will carry out extensive research such as key fabric and garment trends, visual range boards, costings, sourcing and safety considerations.

Bluezoo at Debenhams: Debenhams is a leading international, multi-channel brand with a proud British heritage. They aim to make shopping confidence-boosting, sociable and fun for customers, through our 240 department store destinations and online in more than 90 countries. Debenhams not only sell apparel, but they also offer customers a wide range of services including restaurants and cafes, personal shopping assistance, hairdressing and beauty treatments, nail bars and wedding/celebration gift services.

They attempt give their customers around the world a unique, differentiated and exclusive mix of own brands, international brands and concessions. Debenhams Childrenswear own brand is BlueZoo, which is also the brand represented in this range report. Bluezoo offer a range of kids clothing that offer fun, on-trend styles for babies right through to teens. Including essential everyday wear, must-have coats and the latest jeans as well as a range of shoes and accessories.

The Strategy: After redesigning their strategy, Debenhams are seeing the first positive signs of results after a tough year for the UK retail market, achieving £33.2m profit before tax (ir.debenhams, 2019). Debenhams have built a plan that focuses their strategy on parts that scalable and will help them to mitigate the challenging retail environment. They have also established Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) under their redesigned strategy, linked to the destination categories where Debenhams is targeting growth.

Their decisive action to drive further cost savings and generate cash whilst addressing the structural challenge of their store estate. This will create a solid financial platform them to invest behind the strategy and create value for their shareholders and stakeholders, this is needed as they only received 0.5p dividend per share last year (ir.debenhams, 2019).

Figure 1 - Debenhams 2018 annual report “Very weak footfall in 2018”.

The strategy is to deliver growth by becoming a Destination for Social Shopping and offering exciting new products, such as the range presented in the report. This will be driven Digitally, by joining our channels and their interaction with customers and being different in how we create and manage our brands (BlueZoo) and product, supported by a more innovative culture. This is evident as in 2018 digital sales grew by 12.3% as footfall continued to fall, shown in figure 1 (ir.debenhams). This will be combined with a focus on driving efficiency by removing barriers to shopping both online and instore by simplifying, focusing and making more effective use of their resources.

The Childrenswear Market: The UK Childrenswear market is forecast to grow by 12.4% between 2017 and 2022. While Mintel estimates that the Childrenswear market will have grown by 4.5% in 2018, reaching £6.9 billion, representing a slight slowdown from the 4.7% increase seen in 2017 (Mintel, 2018).

Boyswear (boy’s clothing sold for children ages 5-15 years) has seen very strong growth over the last five years, increasing its share of the market 2.9 percentage points between 2013-18, representing a compound annual growth rate of 5.4% in the same period, much stronger growth than experienced by infantswear and Girlswear. Even though the percentage share of UK Childrenswear market is increasing overall (up 2.9% between 2013-2018) the number of live births in Great Britain between 2960-2017 has dropped 2.5% annually (Mintel, 2018). Mintel also states that the standardised mean age of mothers in England and Wales, across all births, 1996-2016 has increased, shown below (Figure 2). This is positive for Childrenswear, as people tend to have more disposable income as they get older.

All figures can be found in full size in the appendix.

When asking Childrenswear buyers what would make them choose one retailer over another, quality and special offers both came top of the list, with over half choosing both of these options despite fewer people (49%) stating quality was the main reason they shopped at the retailer where they spent the most.

Quality Childrenswear is preferred as it means it can continue to be used by others. This could mean passing

on to younger siblings as hand-me-downs, or it could mean passing on to another relative or friend.

Figure 2 - Mintel Childrenswear market report 2018 “The average age of first time parents is increasing”.

Special offers, Affordable basics and quality remain the biggest purchase motivators in Childrenswear, shown in figure 3 below.

Fashion and celebrity have an influential role in the purchasing process, with 67.1% of young shoppers aged 16-24 stating they dress their children, or the children they shop for, in the latest fashion trends. 91.2% of Childrenswear shoppers agree that fit is important when shopping for kidswear highlighting the demand for well-fitting clothing (global data).

Transparency:

Figure 3 - Mintel Childrenswear market report 2018 “Reasons to visit one retailer over another”.

Transparency is a new goal for many businesses, especially Debenhams in order to win over shareholders, employees, and the general public. When a business is open about its operations, it can earn a level of trust that it wouldn’t have established otherwise. A transparent work environment brings greater trust, and trust in an establishment is paramount to its success.

With each year, businesses such as Debenhams are expected to disclose more information, from tax records to executive salaries. (ir.debenhams).

Debenhams openly support SWASTI LIFE programme in India who focus on the Health & Wellbeing, Financial Literacy and Gender Violence Awareness. They now plan to extend into other sourcing countries within the supply chain as they already impact 5,000 workers in India. Their website also talks about Equality “We are committed to ensuring that colleagues are treated equally, regardless of gender, sexuality, religion, age, social class, ethnic origin or disability.” The environment is also important to Debenhams as they focus areas to ensure they minimise the impact on the environment, namely: energy; emissions; waste; water; and sustain. Debenhams raised £1.3 million for their national charity partners: “Look Good Feel Better; Help for Heroes; Breast Cancer Now; and Children In Need.” (ir.debenhams).

“As a business 97% of our waste doesn’t go to landfill, the majority of this is a result of recycling our product packaging.

To further improve this, we have a number of initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle all that we touch. This year they introduced 100% recycled bags for Life and also standardised our hangers, reducing the number of types from 1000 to 50, enabling much easier reuse.” (ir.debenhams).

TREND RESEARCH SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE

SIOBHAN

One of the best way’s of marketing and especially marketing at a low cost is social media, Such as Instagram with over 100 million people on the app. Debenhams have 223k followers which will reach a wide audience of all ages to promote their products, such as their BlueZoo range.

BOYSWEAR AUTUMN/WINTER 2019/20 PRINTED TREND REPORT: MINICOOL.NET

Minicool.net show a wide range of trend reports including one on boyswear trends for Autumn/Winter 2019/20. The report shows similar trends to ones on social media, magazines, WGSN and Edited. The colour schemes and patterns and prints shown all relate well and will help towards creating a range suitable for the target market. Research now needs to be done into pattern, prints and producttypes. The report will also carry out primary research by asking relevent consumers their thoughts.

WGSN WGSN present a wide range of reports and articles on childrenswear trends. A main theme found through this website was ‘Winter Warriors’. It follows similar colour schemes, patterns and fabrics with other trend reserach that has been carried out.

Colours from this report are neutral tones and a blend of darker and lighter colours.

WGSN is a reliable resource that also holds product types trend reserach relevent to the range. Below shows a board pn fabric and print. It shows texture and and print will be relevent to this range in order to attract to the target market. Research shows that orgininality in designs is key as Debenhams consumers will want ot know they are gettting completely differnent products compared to other competitors such as Next and Marks and Spencer. They want to know they are getting quality for a good price and from an updated style range. Durability will be absolutely necessary to mothers for their children in the Autumn and Winter months.

Therefore warmth and layers in the range is essential.

OTHER SOURCES Other sources such as MAGIC and patternbook are also forecasting similar colours, fabrics and prints for Autumn/Winter 2019/20.

This similarity within the research shows it is reliable and must be used when creating the range.

Trend research that has shown relevent reports/forecasts but a number of mood boards shown will help inspire for the range.

CONSUMER PROFILE

MUM AGED 30-40

Our Primary consumer profile is of 34-year-old Debbie Jones.

She has a 6-year-old son called Thomas, who’s clothes she buys from Bluezoo at Debenhams. She is married and lives in a detached 4-bedroom house with her family.

In total, they are a family of 4 (husband, 2 kids) and they have a golden Labrador called Milo.

Debbie has an administrative office job and works 5 days a week but enjoys going out once in a while for drinks or coffee with her friends. Before she goes to work she does the school run where she chats to the other mums in the playground before heading to work which is just 20-minute drive away. On the weekend, they enjoy family time together by taking Milo to the park for a walk and to play some games. In the evening they enjoy a family meal prepared fresh by Debbie and watch television together before the children go to sleep.

!

CONSUMER PROFILE

BOY AGED 4-10

Our Secondary consumer profile is of 6-year-old Thomas Jones. Thomas enjoys going to school every day because he loves playing football on the grass at break time with his friends. On the weekends he goes to the park with his family and dog, Milo. When he gets there, he likes to ride his bike around and climb up all the trees. However, when it rains he likes to stay inside and play games with his friends on his iPad or play with his dinosaur toys. His favourite food is his mum’s special pasta that they have at least once a week. If Thomas is good, he is usually allowed to watch CBBC for an hour at night time before he goes to bed, he will also get a nice chocolate bar in his lunch box for the next day. For Christmas, Thomas got a Hot Wheels set from Santa which he has been playing with a lot. His clothes get dirty very quickly and need to be washed regularly by his mum. His favourite colour is blue because he supports Manchester City Football Club.

COMPETITION SHOPS

The competition shops were carried out for trend reserach ,what is currently on the market and garment details. The shop was carried out in Liverpool One.

FINAL RANGE BLUEZOO BOYSWEAR A/W2019/20

Style: Boys Bluezoo Sporty Parka Fabric: 100% Polyester, Rib: 98% polyester, 2% elastane, Artificial fur pile.

Sizes: Aged 4-10 Style: Boys Crew Neck Double Layered Tee Colours: Warm Grey, Cool Grey Fabric: 95% Cotton, 5% Polyester COO; China Sizes: Aged 4-10 Colours: Greenery/Navy Peony/Cool Grey COO; Bangladesh

Style: Boys ‘Jean Look’ Relaxed Trouser Fabric: 98% Cotton, 2% Elastane Sizes: Aged 4-10 Colours: Slate Blue, Greenery.

COO; Bangladesh

Style: Boys Casual Jogging Bottoms Fabric: Body: 78% cotton, 20% polyester, 2% Elastane. Pocket: 100% Cotton Sizes: Aged 4-10 Colours: Greenery/Navy Peony/Cool Grey COO; Bangladesh

The range shown is completely original and drawings can be found in appendix.

Style: Boys Classic Sweatshirt Fabric: Body: 80% Cotton, 20% Polyester.

Rib cuffs : 95% cotton, 5% elastane.

Sizes: Aged 4-10 Colours: Greenery/Navy Peony/Cool Grey COO; Bangladesh

Style: Boys Crew Neck Short Slevve T-shirt Fabric: 97% Cotton, 3% Viscose Sizes: Aged 4-10 Colours: Greenery/Navy Peony/Warm Grey COO; Bangladesh

KEY INFORMATION

The BlueZoo Boyswear range for Autumn/Winter 2019/20 is based on trend research from a range of sources such as magazines, books and online sources such as WGSN. The initial range created was slightly different and advantaged from primary research, asking our target market for opinions and suggestions of the range. The colour palette for the range is from PANETONE and the colours are shown. The range suits BlueZoo at Debenhams target market well. It has a range of products that are suited for the right season. Consisting of a sporty parka, a printed basic tee, a doubled- layered mock top, a printed sweatshirt, joggers and relaxed trousers gives the consumer a wide range of products suitable. It also provides convenience for the target audience with the matching colour scheme and features throughtout the range.

The better seller will be the double-layered striped mock top as this is a piece that is on trend yet is also very practical for the colder months for children. Its pocket feature will stand out as well as the design and will be comfortable to wear. The next best-seller in the range will be the “Adventure” printed tee, as it comes in 3 colours and is a basictop suitable for the season but all year round too. I t is also the cheapest item in the range costing just £6. The third best seller will be the sweatshirt and joggers. They are a matching piece but can also be bought and worn individually making them adaptable depending on the customer. The colour range will also be attractive to customers as they can pick their favourite or mix and match. Next will be the applique relaxed trousers. These throusers will be comfortable with a ‘jean look’ that is both stylish and wearable for children. The embroidery helps them to fit into the range and pair up easily. The emriodered coat will be the worst seller, this is mainly beacuse of the selling price, however it is an investment piece and very good quaility and will last alot longer than just Autumn/ Winter 2019/20.

PANETONE: COOL GREY 40

PANETONE: WARM GREY 6

PANETONE: GREENERY 15-0343 TCX

PANETONE: NAVY PEONY 19-4029 TCX

From Bluezoo, this classic parka will make a cosy update to his outerwear collection.

Presenting a shower resistant finish with a soft borg lining and storm cuffs for extra warmth. Embroidered leaves on the pockets and fur hood for an Autumn design.

Fabric Composition: Outer / lining / wadding: 100% polyester Rib: 98% polyester, 2% elastane, Artificial fur pile.

Construction: Shower resistant ,Storm cuffs, Long sleeves, Plastic zip and popper fastenings.

Embroidered leaves on pockets and Fur hood. Wadding and Quilted finish. Fabric dyed.

Fabric Weight: 250 GMS Selling Price: £38 Colour: Warm Grey, Cool Grey.

Country of Origin: China

These cotton stretch relaxed trousers with ‘jean look’ will smarten up his casual collection. Designed with a relaxed fit for comfort, this versatile pair features rolled up cuffs.

Fabric Composition: 98% Cotton, 2% Elastane Construction: Applique and embroidery leaf feature on front. Fusible interlining on back of applique. Plastic zip and secure button. ‘Jean look’ colour. Yarn dyed. Plastic Zip, the fly will have a zip guard of 2cm wide. Blue plastic button.

Fabric Weight : 270 GMS Selling Price: £12 Colour: Slate Blue, Greenery.

Country of Origin: Bangladesh

Update his everyday wardrobe with this top from Bluezoo. Woven from pure cotton, it has a mock-layered design with striped sleeves, complete with a useful pocket and design to colour match the rest of the range.

Fabric Composition: 95% Cotton, 5% Polyester Construction: Mock layered top with stripe. Three thread overedge Stitch.

Crew Neckline, yarn dyed. Large pocket on front. Ribbed bottom cuff.

Fabric Weight: 150 GMS Selling Price: £10 Colour: Greenery, Cool Grey, Navy Peony Country of Origin: Bangladesh

From Bluezoo, this sweater will make a perfect addition to his Autumn/Winter wardrobe. Showcasing an ‘Adventure’ colour block design, it is complete with a fun matching colour stripe and cuffed features.

Fabric Composition: Body: 80% Cotton, 20% Polyester. Rib cuffs : 95% cotton, 5% elastane.

Construction: Pull on. Crew Neck with long sleeves. 2 colour options for Applique block Colour and cuffs. Fusible interlining on back of applique. Overlocked together for strength. Cuffed bottom feature. Pigment Dye print for ‘Adventure’.

Fabric Weight : 160 GMS Selling Price: £10 Colour: Greenery/ Navy Peony and Cool Grey.

Country of Origin: Bangladesh

This top will serve as a comfy casual addition to your little one's everyday wardrobe.

Crafted from cotton blend, it showcases a printed “Adventure” design and is finished with a crew neckline for added appeal.

Fabric Composition: 97% Cotton, 3% Viscose Construction: Pigment dyed print “Adventure” and leaves on front, crew neckline. Yarn dyed.

Basic tee, black neckline.

Fabric Weight: 120 GMS Selling Price: £6 Colour: Greenery/Navy Peony/Warm Grey Country of Origin: Bangladesh

Update his everyday line-up with these jogging bottoms from Bluezoo. Made from soft cotton-rich materials, they present a colourful striped side trim and are finished with an elasticated waistband for added comfort. Pair with a tee and trainers for a relaxed daytime outfit.

Fabric Composition: Body: 78% cotton, 20% polyester, 2% Elastane. Pocket: 100% Cotton Construction: Pull on with decorative drawstring. (not functional). 2 colour options for side trim stripe. Overlocked together for strength. Pockets. Cuffed bottom feature.

Fabric Weight: 160 GMS Selling Price: £12 Colour: Navy Peony/ Greenery and Cool Grey.

Country of Origin: Bangladesh

TECH PACK

GARMENT SPECIFICATION FOR RELAXED TROUSERS

SEASON: A/W 2019/20 RANGE: BLUEZOO BOYS AGED 4-10 STYLE: RELAXED TROUSER CREATION DATE: 18/01/19

CREATED BY: LOIS BETTS FABRIC: 98% COTTON, 2% ELASTANE REVISION DATE: 28/01/19 REVISED BY: DAISY OLIVER

PAGE: 1 OF 7

TECH PACK

SIZE SPECIFICATION FOR RELAXED TROUSERS

SEASON: A/W 2019/20 RANGE: BLUEZOO BOYS AGED 4-10 STYLE: RELAXED TROUSER CREATION DATE: 18/01/19

CREATED BY: LOIS BETTS FABRIC: 98% COTTON, 2% ELASTANE REVISION DATE: 28/01/19 REVISED BY: DAISY OLIVER

PAGE: 2 OF 7

TECH PACK GARMENT INFORMATION

PANTONE SLATE BLUE 7545c AGENCY: JWT

SEASON: A/W 2019/20 RANGE: BLUEZOO BOYS AGED 4-10 STYLE: RELAXED TROUSER CREATION DATE: 18/01/19

PANETONE GREENERY 15-0343 TCX

CREATED BY: LOIS BETTS FABRIC: 98% COTTON, 2% ELASTANE REVISION DATE: 28/01/19 REVISED BY: DAISY OLIVER

PAGE: 3 OF 7

TECH PACK

BLACK AND WHITE

Jersey Lined back in contrast green colour.

Secure plastic blue button to avoid looking like food.

Small Applique and Embroidered over leaf design in pocket with fusible interlining.

Waistband with functioning belt loops.

Deep, functioning pockets Plastic Zip with zip guard that is 2cm wide.

Rolled up bottom cuff and stitched into place.

Back woven label showing size and brand. Inside Left side, wash care label, 2.5cm below waistband.

98% cotton, 2% Elastane - Yarn Dyed to ‘Jean Look’ blend.

Relaxed, confortable fit.

SEASON: A/W 2019/20 RANGE: BLUEZOO BOYS AGED 4-10 STYLE: RELAXED TROUSER CREATION DATE: 18/01/19

‘Jean look’ Relaxed trouser in Pantone Slate Blue 7545c

Functioning Back Pockets with pale green contrast stitching.

Rolled up bottom cuff and stitched into place.

CREATED BY: LOIS BETTS FABRIC: 98% COTTON, 2% ELASTANE REVISION DATE: 28/01/19 REVISED BY: DAISY OLIVER

PAGE: 4 OF 7

TECH PACK

EMBELLISHMENTS, TRIMS AND COMPONENTS AGES: 4 YEARS 5 YEARS 6 YEARS 7 YEARS 8 YEARS 9 YEARS 10 YEARS

M

ENDFOLD LABEL

2C

2CM

FOLD LINE

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2CM SEAM SELVEDGE

AGED 8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6CM

AGES: 4 YEARS 5 YEARS 6 YEARS 7 YEARS 8 YEARS 9 YEARS 10 YEARS

ARTWORK NOT TO ACTUAL SIZE SIDE POCKET DETAIL Application: Embroidered over applique Placement: Left side pocket Colours: Refer to trim placement Notes: Please scale and provide measures for each size of garment

ARTWORK NOT TO ACTUAL SIZE BACK NECK INNER LABEL Application: Endfold Label Placement: Centre back inner seam Colours: Refer to trim placement Notes: Please provide artwork for all garment sizes prior to bulk manufacture

4CM -----------------------------------98% COTTON/ 2% ELASTANE 99% COTON/ 2% ELASTHANNE 98%BAUMWOLLE 2% ELASTAN

18CM LENGTH

98% COTONE 2% ELASTAN

------------------------------------

1CM

ARTWORK NOT TO ACTUAL SIZE SAMPLE ONLY: ACTUAL STYLE SPECIFIC WASH CARE LABEL ARTWORK TO BE SUPPLIED

BY FACTORY Application: Satin, printed loop label Placement: Left side inner seam 2.5cm below waistband PLEASE NOTE THAT Colours: Refer to trim placement DOM (DATE OF Notes: Please provide artwork for all garment sizes MANUFACTURE) WILL prior to bulk manufacture with correct fibre comp NEED TO BE and wash care instructions ADDED TO ARTWORK PAGE:

BY VENDOR FOR EACH 5 OF 7 PRODUCTION BATCH

TECH PACK FABRIC AND TRIM PLACEMENT

TRIM MARKING: 2

3/4

6

5

10 9

7/8

1

ADDITIONAL NOTES: The Garment is to be on a hanger. Bar code on swing label to be positioined as shown to the relevent artwork. Please ensure this is visible when on the hanger.

Ensure embroidery and applique is secure prior to being sent/ put on the hanger. Ensure Fusible interlining is in place before sent in transit. Swing ticket to be attatched through the back neck label on a singlke dimention tag -barcode on opposite side printed back to back.

SEASON: A/W 2019/20 RANGE: BLUEZOO BOYS AGED 4-10 STYLE: RELAXED TROUSER CREATION DATE: 18/01/19

CREATED BY: LOIS BETTS FABRIC: 98% COTTON, 2% ELASTANE REVISION DATE: 28/01/19 REVISED BY: DAISY OLIVER

PAGE: 6 OF 7

GARMENT HANGER

TECH PACK

ARTWORK NOT TO ACTUAL SIZE

SWING TICKET

PACKAGING

ARTWORK NOT TO ACTUAL SIZE

Aged 8

Application: Card Printed swing ticket Placement: Attatched to top of garment Colours: Shown in diagram Notes: Please provide description for all garments and sizes prior to bulk manufacture

S000/0000/000 ADD DESCRIPTION HERE

Application: Trouser Hanger Placement: Clip garment to provided grips Colours: shown in diagram Notes: Please provide artwork for all garment sizes placed on hanger prior to bulk manufacture

Aged 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

£12.00

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Please use trouser garment hanger. Please select a size suitable for the item being displayed. Please

ensure correct safety warnings are shown on the hanger. Barcode printed on swing ticket. Please provide samplesof the hangers and swing ticket for approval.

SEASON: A/W 2019/20 RANGE: BLUEZOO BOYS AGED 4-10 STYLE: RELAXED TROUSER CREATION DATE: 18/01/19

CREATED BY: LOIS BETTS FABRIC: 98% COTTON, 2% ELASTANE REVISION DATE: 28/01/19 REVISED BY: DAISY OLIVER

PAGE: 7 OF 7

COSTINGS SHEET FOR RELAXED TROUSERS

CALCULATIONS AND EVIDENCE FOUND IN APPENDIX

GOOD, BETTER, BEST

BEST

In terms of good, better, best the basic crew neck short sleeve print top will be the good option (£6). The better option will be the double layered tee as it has long sleeve with two layered for extra warmth in winter and also it has a useful, functioning pocket on the front (£10). However,

BETTER

the best option for the autumn/winter months would be the sporty parka coat as it is the thickest and warmest and can be layered over other garments. It has 4 functioning pockets, a faux fur hood and is finished with with a wadding and quilted finish (£38).

GOOD

SOURCING STRATEGY BANGLADESH

Bangladesh has a population of 162 million people and is one of the world’s highest populated countries. Bangladesh is a poverty-ridden country, however in past few years had decreased their population and improved on the education and health of their people. The main language they speak is Bengali; the main religions they follow are Hinduism and Islam.

The currency in Bangladesh is Taka UN, World Bank. All these factors are important for a buyer to know.

Ethics are a massive factor when considering if to source from a country or not. In 2013, a factory called Rana Plaza collapsed in Savar Upazila of Dhaka District, Bangladesh. This was an eight-story building that ended up collapsing due to poor construction. 1,134 deaths were the results from this tragedy. Since this incident, the unethical and hazardous conditions of many apparel-sourcing buildings have been taken in to consideration made improvement. Hundreds of companies that source from Bangladesh that are from the US and Europe have now signed a 5-year agreement with the Accord in Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. This is a 5 year agreement to guarantee building inspections, make sure everything is safe and to a high standard. Many companies now have conducted a detailed and thorough l ook in to their global sourcing activities, making sure everything is ethically appropriate and running smoothly.

WHY CHOOSE BANGLADESH?

MAN POWER In Bangladesh you can get a lot of manpower for very cheap as they work for less than people are willing to work for the western world.

Because of the huge population in Bangladesh and the poverty rates very high, it is very easy for apparel factories to recruit many new workers which will equate in to work being done faster. 60% of Bangladesh population is under 25. This is a benefit as this means factories can have energetic man power, because these people are young too this means that they can stay the same factory who you source from for years and years and really learn and get skilled from the craft.

EMPOLYABILITY The apparel industry in Bangladesh help's the community get jobs and helps millions of people out of serve poverty, this leads to our choice in using them as an apparel source for our national distribution. This contributes to keeping factories in business and keeping the local community in jobs. It employs around 20 million people in the country and is the major driving force of the country’s economy.

LOW COSTS Bangladesh is known for being a country for sourcing low-cost garments.

ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY

This year Debenhams have launched a CSR strategy “Doing our bit” which is focused on three strands: (Ir. Debenhams, 2019) Equality – striving for equality and diversity throughout their workforce and supply chain; Community – being an active part of the communities in which they serve; and Environment – reducing, reusing and recycling all that they do to the best of their abilities. Fast fashion and overconsumption is drowning the world and sending 26 Billion Pounds of Reusable Textiles to the Landfill Every Year. Our overconsumption and fast fashion have brought about a massive rise in textile waste dumped in landfill sites. The Environment Select Committee reported that textile waste had risen from 7% of total waste to 30% in the last five years.

The solution is to …

Buy Less. Buying less is a sure way of reducing any more clothing in landfills and saves money.

Donate. The post-consumer textile recycling industry have repurposed & recycled billions of pounds of clothing, household textiles, shoes, and accessories.

This ensures your old clothing, footwear, and textiles continue to add value to the economy and beyond.

Buy ethical and fair trade. Organic, ethical and fair-trade products are usually made with fewer resources and different materials with a lower environmental impact. These are more expensive, which means you’ll likely buy less – but that’s a good thing, too!

Recycle and Re-Use all the time!

Debenhams are involved in a number of Ethical Trade programmes that aim to reduce inequalities within our global supply chains, focusing on life skills that will empower women and their communities. In 2015, Debenhams partnered with Swasti, an International Health Resource Centre based in Bangalore, India to implement our LIFE programme (Life Skills for Empowering Women), By delivering a number of training modules, the programme objective was to raise awareness and empower workers, particularly women, working in the Debenhams Indian supply chain (ir.debenhams, 2019).

The workers are trained on five key areas: • Health & Hygiene • Food & Nutrition • Reproductive Health • Financial Literacy • Gender Relationships Debenhams are also committed to continuously improving their energy efficiency in buildings and operations. This has driven a material reduction in this year’s carbon footprint. This year, their overall carbon footprint has decreased by 21%, from 177,611 tonnes CO2e in FY2017 to 140,352 tonnes CO2e (using the location-based approach). As a business 97% of their waste doesn’t go to landfill, the majority of this is a result of recycling our product packaging. To further improve this, they have a number of initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle what they touch. This year they introduced 100% recycled bags for Life and also standardised our hangers, reducing the number of types from 1000 to 50, enabling much easier reuse (ir.debenhams, 2019).

Next follow The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a collection of global goals which cover a broad range of social and economic development issues. They are set through to 2030 and the initiatives aim to end poverty, promote equality and wellbeing and preserve the environment (Next plc, 2019). NEXT has a role to play in reaching these goals and communicating our performance against them through their own

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In conclusion, Debenhams is a 240 years old department store chain. It was valued at just £65m, after its shares fell by 21% amid reports that it was now being shunned by suppliers (Davis, 2019). This was the biggest one-day fall recorded by the retailer for more than a decade. Almost half a billion pounds of annual losses, a third of its department stores set to close and thousands of jobs to be culled. In conclusion, the problems start with far too many shops, rapidly rising staff costs, large business rates bills and customers that now buy a quarter of their clothes online.

But what are competitors doing that Debenhams aren’t? Earlier research suggests a contributing factor to this is transparency. Competitors such as NEXT plc and M&S are very transparent with their sourcing and ethical/ sustainability traits. Research shows Debenhams is slightly behind and needs further in-depth analysis of their goals and how they are going to achieve them. Another contributing factor shows to be creating a customer experience. Debenhams are seen to be a traditional brand because of their age and therefore maybe seen to be slightly behind when it comes to technology and being interactive with customers. In order to change this Debenhams, need to change their reputation by implementing relevant strategies to attract customers in the current UK market.

For years Debenhams has been struggling to break its discounting dependency habit, however their problems are hardly unique. The global retail industry is in the midst of rapid transformation, with customer desires constantly changing, with the hugely disruptive impact of digital technology.

It is believed that Debenhams needs to work on the right balance between higher margin brands, stylish private label ranges and lower margin aspirational brands to provide a strong bottom line for department stores.

Following research, it is believed that the rise of e-commerce fashion brands such as Asos, Boohoo etc. with their distinct offerings, short lead times and keen prices make it even more difficult to compete. In addition, Debenhams has conditioned customers not to expect to pay full price for merchandise and, predictably, therefore draining the company’s profitability.

The move to ecommerce coupled with the increased costs of running a bricks and mortar store in the UK, has meant that department stores have struggled. However, Debenhams has a clear strategy and is well equipped to turn things around.

Debenhams have 165 stores in the UK at present and are planning to close up to a third of its stores. The combined business rates alone on these stores totalled around £80m ($103m) last year. The costs to run this number of stores is simply too high. Closing stores will save the company vital cash (The guardian, 2019).

It will also mean the company to concentrate its efforts on a smaller number of stores, while freeing up money to invest in the growth of sales in these stores. The focus here will be on customer experience. Such as, opening its first beauty hall within one of its stores. This features a hair lab, beauty club, and a mini bar. Debenhams have also begun to introduce a free personal shopping service (perhaps following M&S’ ‘Fit and style studio’ and has announced its plans to open in-store gyms through a strategic partnership with fitness brand Sweat! (Butler, 2019).

However, this may all be affected with Brexit, when the UK government intends to end free movement within the European Union by March 2019 as a means of reducing immigration to the UK. Ending free movement would cause major problems for the creative industries, which rely on freelancers who can sign on to last-minute projects at a moment's notice. The paperwork involved with the visa process would render it impossible for companies, such as Debenhams, to do so.