Coach Is Closing 70 Full Price Stores

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#541
lovingmybags said:
Unfortunately, I don't really want to give a negative review either...but what can I say, when the seven boroughs I own never gave me any trouble? Maybe it was an unrealistic comparison, but the result was just kind of disappointing. Anyhow, I'm still looking forward to Coach picking up their styles and quality! When they do, I'll surely be back for more :smile1: Even with the problems here and there, it's still one my favorite brands-KS and MK really don't do it for me.
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To repost this again so all of you know my opinion on the issue at hand, I think Coach could possibly become considered a premier designer if they kind of followed a plan like this:

This is just my opinion, but here goes:

My COACH revival plan
- Gradually phase out outlets
- Start by gradually having less and less sales until you reach a point and stop having sales, but items are still sold for less than in FP, but that is the only discount you get; what's on the tag is what you get; no coupons
- Stop carrying full-price items in outlets; gradually sell less and less full-price items in outlets until you no longer sell FP items in outlets
- After you reach this point, only sell MFF items in the factory store.
- Make MFF items more obvious by replacing the New York under the Coach logo with FACTORY OR COACH C/O...; this will make FP items more desirable because they won't be branded as Factory

- Make FP items more exclusive
- Raise items on full price and come out with a "legacy" line of bags that stays around forever, such as how LV has the Speedy and Neverfull, Hermes has the Birkin and Kelly, etc. and gradually improve these bags over time and raise prices each improvement (if it drastically changes the design such as the Neverfull Neo with new lining and new included Pouchette) or don't raise the price of it doesn't drastically change (such as the LV Speedy with the zipper pull that's finished on both sides, the stitching above the rivet, etc.
- Stop selling in Department Stores, only sell in Coach Stores and on Coach.com
- Bring manf. back the U.S. from China

This strategy has worked for many brands, and this is just my opinion.
 
#542
^This is why tpF is so great, that we can all share our opinions and discuss; unfortunately, I think there is no one-size-fit-all solution to Coach's turnaround at hand.

-As it is, outlets is their largest breadwinner, and without original styles+superior quality to capture audiences, the idea of phasing them out, even gradually, would leave Coach in the dust.

-Not sure if I understand your second point-so have a "discount", but don't advertise them as such? I think that's only going to confuse customers on the disparity in the numbers.

-On your fifth point in the first section, I think it's a good concept in general, but only if they have appealed to a large audience for FP. Coach C/O may work, but I don't think labeling things FACTORY will please any outlet shoppers-no one wants to be easily perceived/thought of as wannabes carrying cheapo versions in the same brand. Even for FP shoppers, it's unlikely many perceive Coach as truly luxurious.

-With the penultimate point in the second section (not selling in department stores), it's something Coach cannot afford to do. Not having achieved status of LV and the other premiers at this stage, it'll be plainly suicidal.

-And finally, with the last item on the list, it's just not practical. Even with premier brands, I seriously doubt that most of the manufacturing/assembling is actually done in Europe. For Coach, which advertises bags for less than 1/4 the price of a LV, and almost 1/10 the price of a Chanel, to raise production costs is not sustainable. I personally don't mind they're made in China-but if they can put out collections of quality, then their merchandise will still be highly sought after. MK is made in China as well, and these are clearly a favorite for many people.

Again, great thoughts, but potential problems in execution. Not all people/companies are created equal, and not everyone has to take the same steps to success. In any case, hope Coach will come up with something, that'll pull them through.
 
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#543
lovingmybags said:
^This is why tpF is so great, that we can all share our opinions and discuss; unfortunately, I think there is no one-size-fit-all solution to Coach's turnaround at hand.

-As it is, outlets is their largest breadwinner, and without original styles+superior quality to capture audiences, the idea of phasing them out, even gradually, would leave Coach in the dust.

-Not sure if I understand your second point-so have a "discount", but don't advertise them as such? I think that's only going to confuse customers on the disparity in the numbers.

-On your fifth point in the first section, I think it's a good concept in general, but only if they have appealed to a large audience for FP. Coach C/O may work, but I don't think labeling things FACTORY will please any outlet shoppers-no one wants to be easily perceived/thought of as wannabes carrying cheapo versions in the same brand. Even for FP shoppers, it's unlikely many perceive Coach as truly luxurious.

-With the penultimate point in the second section (not selling in department stores), it's something Coach cannot afford to do. Not having achieved status of LV and the other premiers at this stage, it'll be plainly suicidal.

-And finally, with the last item on the list, it's just not practical. Even with premier brands, I seriously doubt that most of the manufacturing/assembling is actually done in Europe. For Coach, which advertises bags for less than 1/4 the price of a LV, and almost 1/10 the price of a Chanel, to raise production costs is not sustainable. I personally don't mind they're made in China-but if they can put out collections of quality, then their merchandise will still be highly sought after. MK is made in China as well, and these are clearly a favorite for many people.

Again, great thoughts, but potential problems in execution. Not all people/companies are created equal, and not everyone has to take the same steps to success. In any case, hope Coach will come up with something, that'll pull them through.
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For the exact same price coach wants, you can get something slightly cheaper that's made in Canada. Don't tell me coach can't do that. They can. Roots have proven it. If I am going to pay $300+ for a bag, I might as well get one from roots and wait for their spring/summer months for prettier colors. MADE IN CANADA not made in china/thailand/vietnam, etc. And fyi Canada's min wage is 10 dollars an hour which is a lot more than min wage in the us. And roots factory is located in toronto where the min wage is 11 dollars an hour, yet they can charge prices lower than what coach wants for their made in China bags that are going downhill in quality. They just want the profit they can get from the exchange rate. Stop giving them excuses.
 
#544
Yes the whipstich Tatum tote in teal!! I believe it came out when the Dakota did, but yesterday was the first time I had seen it! Gunmetal hardware against the teal-wow!! I really thought I would leave with the swagger and I did love the look-black on black and the ginger combo, but I thought it was a little big for me.
 
#545
lovingmybags said:
^This is why tpF is so great, that we can all share our opinions and discuss; unfortunately, I think there is no one-size-fit-all solution to Coach's turnaround at hand.

-As it is, outlets is their largest breadwinner, and without original styles+superior quality to capture audiences, the idea of phasing them out, even gradually, would leave Coach in the dust.

-Not sure if I understand your second point-so have a "discount", but don't advertise them as such? I think that's only going to confuse customers on the disparity in the numbers.

-On your fifth point in the first section, I think it's a good concept in general, but only if they have appealed to a large audience for FP. Coach C/O may work, but I don't think labeling things FACTORY will please any outlet shoppers-no one wants to be easily perceived/thought of as wannabes carrying cheapo versions in the same brand. Even for FP shoppers, it's unlikely many perceive Coach as truly luxurious.

-With the penultimate point in the second section (not selling in department stores), it's something Coach cannot afford to do. Not having achieved status of LV and the other premiers at this stage, it'll be plainly suicidal.

-And finally, with the last item on the list, it's just not practical. Even with premier brands, I seriously doubt that most of the manufacturing/assembling is actually done in Europe. For Coach, which advertises bags for less than 1/4 the price of a LV, and almost 1/10 the price of a Chanel, to raise production costs is not sustainable. I personally don't mind they're made in China-but if they can put out collections of quality, then their merchandise will still be highly sought after. MK is made in China as well, and these are clearly a favorite for many people.

Again, great thoughts, but potential problems in execution. Not all people/companies are created equal, and not everyone has to take the same steps to success. In any case, hope Coach will come up with something, that'll pull them through.
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I agree and even moreso with the bolder, i will add all my most recent purchases are made in Thailand and Vietnam not China. So clearly they are moving things about ..
 
#546
ladylightkeeper said:
Yes the whipstich Tatum tote in teal!! I believe it came out when the Dakota did, but yesterday was the first time I had seen it! Gunmetal hardware against the teal-wow!! I really thought I would leave with the swagger and I did love the look-black on black and the ginger combo, but I thought it was a little big for me.
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Awesome! It's definitely a striking bag. Congrats to you- I hope you love it!
 
#547
bluebellrose said:
For the exact same price coach wants, you can get something slightly cheaper that's made in Canada. Don't tell me coach can't do that. They can. Roots have proven it. If I am going to pay $300+ for a bag, I might as well get one from roots and wait for their spring/summer months for prettier colors. MADE IN CANADA not made in china/thailand/vietnam, etc. And fyi Canada's min wage is 10 dollars an hour which is a lot more than min wage in the us. And roots factory is located in toronto where the min wage is 11 dollars an hour, yet they can charge prices lower than what coach wants for their made in China bags that are going downhill in quality. They just want the profit they can get from the exchange rate. Stop giving them excuses.
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I don't think anyone is trying to give excuses but generally speaking most companies have shifted away from at home production, As a Canadian i am extremely familiar with Roots (darn it all they got me yesterday with a heart shape coin holder lol) but while i own Roost purses and did like some of the newer line they are different than Coach frankly if they produced as many purses as Coach does i'm not sure they'd be able to hold on long term to making them in Toronto in their entirety.

As with all designer and luxury goods markups and paying for the label, name and aura exist it's just part of it, you can either choose to participate or not.

I like my Coach purses they offer me something different, it's not say i don't see their faults nor see areas for improvement.

Roots is a bit of a dark horse playing the game but not considered either designer or luxury, they are our quiet little home best kept secret, while i would love them to succeed and be more desired(which i was just reading they opened a huge store in China) i do wonder what that would do to their quality, mainly being able to keep their leathers and Made in Canada focus.:smile1:
 
#548
HesitantShopper said:
I don't think anyone is trying to give excuses but generally speaking most companies have shifted away from at home production, As a Canadian i am extremely familiar with Roots (darn it all they got me yesterday with a heart shape coin holder lol) but while i own Roost purses and did like some of the newer line they are different than Coach frankly if they produced as many purses as Coach does i'm not sure they'd be able to hold on long term to making them in Toronto in their entirety.

As with all designer and luxury goods markups and paying for the label, name and aura exist it's just part of it, you can either choose to participate or not.

I like my Coach purses they offer me something different, it's not say i don't see their faults nor see areas for improvement.

Roots is a bit of a dark horse playing the game but not considered either designer or luxury, they are our quiet little home best kept secret, while i would love them to succeed and be more desired(which i was just reading they opened a huge store in China) i do wonder what that would do to their quality, mainly being able to keep their leathers and Made in Canada focus.:smile1:
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Could post by someone who knows something of the industry. Thanks for sharing, I always was curious about the company.
 
#549
bluebellrose said:
For the exact same price coach wants, you can get something slightly cheaper that's made in Canada. Don't tell me coach can't do that. They can. Roots have proven it. If I am going to pay $300+ for a bag, I might as well get one from roots and wait for their spring/summer months for prettier colors. MADE IN CANADA not made in china/thailand/vietnam, etc. And fyi Canada's min wage is 10 dollars an hour which is a lot more than min wage in the us. And roots factory is located in toronto where the min wage is 11 dollars an hour, yet they can charge prices lower than what coach wants for their made in China bags that are going downhill in quality. They just want the profit they can get from the exchange rate. Stop giving them excuses.
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Great to hear that a company has done it! Sounds like a brand that truly knows its roots (no pun intended), but unfortunately I don't believe that's Coach. With smart planning/budgeting, I'm sure it is possible, yet if you look at what Coach does, every campaign, I'm not surprised they lose a lot of money in the process (the peanuts collection, and who knows, maybe the Baseman will be added to the mix). That has been proven by how they're planning to close 70 FP stores. So, given that they're aiming for the premier market, one of their biggest aims would be to maximize profits (again, shown by their cutting down on quality-perhaps not properly put in context as you have done with your post). Given that's what they're going for, the fact that they're likely spending quite a bit of money styling new bags every month, and their inefficient operating policies, I would hold that having factories here in the US would not be sustainable for them. Have they done it in the past? Yes. Can they do it now? I don't think so. That's what I meant to say with my post; you're perfectly entitled to disagree. Love tpF! :smile1:
 
#550
farris2 said:
I got an email from the manager from one of the stores inviting me to stop in since they closed the only other store in Wolfchase Galleria. 😔
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I haven't been buying a lot of Coach lately and I hate the mall anyway. Did the Wolfchase store close? There was hardly anybody in there buying the few times that I did stop there. Saddle Creek always seems to have customers but I couldn't tell if they were buying or browsing the last time I was there. I can tell you I was browsing, though.
 
#551
#554
ArmCandyLuvr said:
This might shed some light on that. Apparently, Chinese workers are getting too "expensive" for manufacturers, so they're on the hunt for even cheaper labor. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2081532,00.html
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CoachMaven said:
And some of the newest styles from Coach have a Made in Vietnam tag in them too, hmmmm......
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Coach has been making bags in Vietnam for about three years now.

Their latest source of cheap labor is Bangladesh, whose tanneries and associated leather industries create one of the worst sources of industrial pollution in the world.

http://www.sos-arsenic.net/english/environment/leatherindustry.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/article...-industrys-workers-exposed-to-toxic-chemicals

Obviously, none of that matters to Coach. Only their bottom line is important.
 
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#555
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