7 minute read
Industry Spotlight: DOUGUE
Canine Couture
Born from a desire to offer pets fashionable products, DOGUE has gone from strength to strength over the past 25 years.
- Words Thomas Oakley-Newell
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS ago, Simone Kingston was on the hunt for practical yet fashionable products for her dog, Gulliver. Not being able to find anything, Kingston took it upon herself, and DOGUE was born.
“The concept of DOGUE was to open Australia’s first dog boutique. ‘A House of Canine Couture’ featuring its own doggy label with a focus on pet fashion. High quality products, cool branding, and extensive service, creating a fun and unique shopping experience for dogs and their owners,” she explains.
L-R: Margaret Hennessy and Simone Kingston
Founded in 1998, DOGUE is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and currently has nine stores across NSW, Queensland, and Victoria, with a retreat boarding facility in Berrima, NSW.
Falling into the pet industry through simply wanting better things for Gulliver, Kingston says DOGUE is built from a place of love.
“Wanting dogs to have a place where they could have all the good things they deserve, a place where dog lovers could come together as a community, a place where dogs could come to shop and are made to feel welcome. DOGUE has given me a creative outlet I would never have dreamed possible, a place where I could indulge my love of design, fashion and interior and of course dogs.”
– Margaret Hennessy, CEO/Owner, DOGUE
Joining DOGUE in 2005, Margaret Hennessy who is now CEO/Owner, came on board to run the retail business to allow Kingston to focus on wholesale and design.
“I loved the concept that Simone had come up with, and being a passionate animal lover, I was very keen to assist Simone and Tony develop the brand. We then saw an opportunity for me to take on the retail arm of the business, to allow Simone to focus on being more creative and to design a more extensive product range. It was all about the DOGUE passion, the dogs, and the customers.”
Alongside their retail offering, Kingston and Hennessy identified an in-demand market to upscale their business.
“We were a small store in Woollahra in Sydney’s East and we needed to find alternatives to being a pure retail offering. Within a couple of months, we introduced grooming and within that first year moved to our current location in Oxford Street, Bondi Junction where we have two sites side by side – retail, grooming, and day care.
“Grooming is such an in-demand service and for most of our stores it is now the main revenue driver. This absolutely changed the business as our clients are such regular visitors, many weekly,” explained Hennessy.
Furry fashion
In addition to grooming, day care, and general retail, DOGUE’s own range of products really shine through.
Kingston explains that DOGUE’s product ranges are distinctive and known for their playful prints, working with what’s in fashion, both on the street and at home.
“From our extensive experience in retail and services we have a strong understanding of the pet accessory market and the needs of consumers, so we are consistently working on designs that customers want.
“We get that customers want quality products, but they also want individual style, because dogs don’t want to all look the same at the park, so our ranges offer lots of different looks that can be mixed around to achieve this.”
At the end of the day, Hennessey says their philosophy is simple – dogs come first.
– Simone Kingston, Founder, DOGUE
“We base key decisions on the health and wellbeing of the dogs in our care but add a stylish flair to what we do at the same time. Trust in the pet industry is so important. The longevity of DOGUE, our customer service and the thousands of services we provide each year have earnt us that trust.”
It is this trust and quality service that has enabled DOGUE to succeed over the years, and despite the business evolving and growing so much since its inception, Hennessy still gets a kick every time they open a new store.
Simone Kingston (right) with DOGUE Williamstown (Victoria) Franchisee Andrea Tully.
“Every time we open a new store it is so rewarding. Partnering with franchise owners, the HQ team, store team and other providers to bring it all together is a definite buzz. Watching as each store grows and engages with its own community of dogs and developing those special connections is what DOGUE is all about.
“Extending the DOGUE family to The Country Retreat in 2010 – our intimate boarding facility – has been such a great service add on for our customers, a safe and trusted home away from home.”
Best paw forward
Not content with simply working across retail, grooming, and day-care, DOGUE also has a website, which is currently in the process of being re-designed and launched as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations.
“Our website is around 12 years old. With the new website, we’re really wanting to focus more on our actual online offering and our product range. We’ve got lots of new products coming out this year under the DOGUE banner and we really want to get behind that because that’s going to generate revenue for the whole company,” explains Hennessy.
For Kingston, the website needs to reflect the evolution of the business, which has changed over the past 12 years.
“We’re trying to push what we represent as a company as soon as you get onto the website, our products, our services, and be really clear about how that all comes together. I think sometimes it can get a bit confusing when you're offering so many different things, so we're just trying to streamline our brand, so it comes across really clear."
Celebrate DOGUE’s 25th Birthday!
DOGUE in-store birthday celebration: Customers are invited to attend any of DOGUE’s nine stores in NSW, Victoria and Queensland between 4-6pm on Thursday 2 March to share in DOGUE’s birthday celebrations. There will be afternoon tea, Instafamous guests, treats for everyone’s gorgeous canines, give aways and a snap sale of 25 per cent of all DOGUE Design products in-store.
DOGUE Cover Dog Competition: From 1 April 2023, customers can log on and register their beloved four-legged pooch to participate in the DOGUE Cover Dog competition and look book to be unveiled in May.
DOGUE Autumn Range Launch Party: DOGUE will hold a launch event in May 2023 for all customers, suppliers, staff, and media as it unveils its exclusive DOGUE Autumn range and announces the winners of the DOGUE Cover Dog competition. DOGUE will also unveil its new website at this time.
RSPCA Million Paws Walk: DOGUE will be continuing to celebrate its birthday with stands at RSPCA Million Paws Walk in Albert Park (VIC), Sydney Olympic Park (NSW) and University of Queensland. Spin the wheel, more giveaways, and pre-walk stretching class (think dog yoga).
