A Chat with Christophe Gaigneux,EVP, Boston Apparel Group,

EVP, Boston Apparel Group,

© Profile of Success, Catalog Success magazine, June 2006

Interview by Matt Griffin

Catalog Success: How many catalogs are in the Boston Apparel Group?

Christophe Gaigneux: In the Boston Apparel Group we have four catalogs, we have Chadwick's, the Lerner catalog, or Metrostyle, because we're changing the name this year, and we have Jessica London. And all three of these are located in the Boston area. And we have La Redoute, which is a French brand that we also have in the U.S.

CS: When was that group established?

CG: As it is today? We just changed the setup a little bit — because all the brands have been established for some time. Chadwick's in '83, Lerner catalog in '85, Jessica London spun off the Chadwick's catalog in '97 and La Redoute was brought to the U.S. from France in '99. Now we operate those catalogs as a group, since I've been appointed to the head of the group. I previously was the head of the Special Sizes Group, which was a different setup. Now we're organized by site.

CS: Could you describe the customer demographics within the Boston Apparel Group?

CG: For Lerner Catalog, or Metrostyle, we target 35- to 45-year- old women with an annual income of $50-$60K per year. She's a more sexy, more fashionable woman. La Redoute is younger, 25 to 40, a broader range of income $50K to $80K per year. She's fashion-addicted, more urban. Chadwick's and Jessica London have a similar demographic. Chadwick's is for the missies sizes, while Jessica London is a plus-sized woman. The target customer is age 40 to 45, working women, $60K to $80K per year.

CS: What are your main sales channels?

CG: We have the catalog and Internet. I can't give you the breakdown by brand, but you can say that in the Boston Apparel Group we range from 30 percent to 50 percent Web-based orders.