Competing with single brand stores

Q: In my area, I’m seeing more and more single brand stores, and some of the brands I carry are actually becoming competitors. What can I do to fight this trend?

A: I am hearing about this problem with a lot of my clients, who worry that they cannot compete against the depth of presentation in single brand stores.

What I tell multibrand stores is that you should be competing with your editing skills. Your ability to edit the collections down to the most important pieces, and then show your customers assortments with a clear point of view, that is your edge — it’s your brand! Add one-of-a-kind customer service to this mix, and you have some real tools to compete with. Don’t underestimate the importance of your store’s branding and point of view.