N Brown launches online footwear brand
N Brown, a UK-based home shopping company, is launching a shoe website this autumn that will offer leading footwear brands as well as footwear from a stable of home designers. The VivaLaDiva.com will also sell its own shoes and footwear accessories under the label DivaFeet such as style-focused storage boxes.
The launch follows a survey of 2,500 women which revealed that a quarter of women between the ages of 25 and 55 have bought shoes online, while almost six in 10 have made footwear purchases from a mail-order catalogue. According to a recent study, 43% of women find the internet more convenient than the high street when shopping for shoes, while three in 10 agree that online prices are more competitive. 15% also think that e-commerce sites are more able to meet their specialist needs, such as wider fittings, than traditional shoe shops.
"The website will offer all women the widest possible range and choice - from shoes for the office or the weekend to high heels for special occasions - as well as superior customer service. We aim to quite literally take the pain out of shopping for shoes,” says Wendy Derbyshire, head of e-Commerce for N Brown home shopping business JD Williams.
The company aims at reaching sales of £4.8 million within the website’s first year of trading and forecasts 30% year-on-year growth. The company has, however, had a dent in profits attributed to a rise in debts and falling door-to-door sales. The group’s pre-tax profits fell 16% to £21 million in the six months to August 28. Turnover of £225.6 million was more than 2% lower than the £231 million posted a year ago.
