Join up for Northern Ireland’s

only tailor-made style catalogue for

independent fashion brands

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A. Black lace textured dress £60S M L XLRE 123456789

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A. Black bandeau dress with sapphire ruffled inset and pleated skirt £130

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B. Sequined and beaded black vest £90

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Online fashion specialists make strong gains

The only other retailers to see their share of the remote shopping market increase were pureplay specialists ASOS, Net-a-Porter and M&M Direct. For the second time in three years, ASOS has more than doubled its sales, increasing by 108.3 to £149.3m in 2008/09. ASOS’ consistently strong sales performance has seen it constantly gain share over the last three years. Thanks to a greater focus of offering clothing at heavily discounted prices, M&M Direct has struck a chord with customers, delivering a very high level of growth for the year to February 2009, increasing sales by 29% as well as growing its profits by more than 20%. Net-a-porter’s ever strong sales performance has seen it consistently gain share over the last three years, while the launch of outnet.com in April 2009 provided a further fillip to growth. It made significant gains in the online market once more in 2009, increasing its share by 0.4 percentage points in three years.

The style depot is Northern Ireland’s one stop shop for style disciples in search of their next fashion fix. We live in a culture of well clothed, well-groomed and modern, style-conscious people who like to keep one step ahead of trends in all the latest fashions. At the heart of this, we are very proud to boast that Northern Ireland independent fashion retailers pave the way for cutting edge style for men and women of all ages throughout our region. Our independent fashion retailers pick and choose affordable, stylish and trend-setting items for sale throughout our network of independents, but due to budgets and external factors, sometimes miss out maximising sales due to the national brand power of high street stores. If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that we all need to work harder to stay one step ahead of the competition. We have recognised that by forming a coalition between our independent fashion brands we can provide national exposure and establish new routes to market to boost sales throughout our region.6

• Mintel forecasts that all retail sales growth will slow to just 0.5% in 2010.

• Non-store retailing (which includes online sales of store-based retailers) will continue to lose share of all retail sales over our forecast period of 2013.

• But e-commerce sales (including those from store retailers) are predicted to grow their share of all retailing from 5.7% in 2008 to almost 13% by 2013.

• Forecast e-commerce sales of £35 billion will represent between 90% and 95% of the whole home shopping market by that time.

• Store based retailers will drive this growth, and in so doing will increase overall demand for home shopping.

• Successfully coverging on and offline channels will be the key, and the point of order should eventually become irrelevant as retailers adopt a more customer-centric model.

Growth will be driven by:

• Improved website funtionality and features

• Lower prices.

• Possibility of financially challenged consumers returning to those catalogue retailers offering extended payment terms.

Sector size and forecast

Sector size and forecast

A. Gold chain and checked dress £150S M L XLRE 123456789

B. Lace tights £40One sizeRE 1234567898 10 12 14 16 ye

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• We think the balance of power online could eventually switch from ‘bricks and clicks’ to pure players. They are already growing faster in the US market - and why should be UK be any different.

• The growing importance of viral marketing, peer-to-peer reviews and recommendations, plus social networking and social networking and social shopping sites all point to a strong future for this model.

• But store retailers will work very hard to deliver greater convergence between the online and offline channels.

• Tesco and Asda will have a big impact as demand for their non-food products grows through the online and big book channels.

• Moreover the counter retailers will use their stores as collection and possibly as return points.

Store retailers and pure players will battle it out

A. Vintage belt £40One size

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C. Imitation Pearl Braclet £20One size

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As a single unit, marketing capabilities and new national sales are restricted to budgets and internal resources. As a stong and unified group, however, major costs are absorbed and shared throughout: our voice becomes louder and our capabilities stronger. Our population is spread vastly throughout our region and due to our busy work commitments we tend to spend on fashion within our local vicinities. As a whole, independent fashion brands market their clothes to high net worth individuals, although these too are spread vastly throughout our region and sometimes difficult to target. Before long, advertising budgets are spent and it’s very difficult to ascertain a positive response on set

campaigns and promotions. With the Style Depot we have devised an easier, hassle free system with trackable results and an already established route to market for an increase in sales, nationally.With each new fashion season, (semi-annual/every six months) we will create and distribute the only tailor-made fashion catalogue for independent fashion brands within Northern Ireland.Each retailer will be take part in their own photo shoot, with experienced models and industry leaders from fashion styling, make-up and hair dressing to deliver tailored shots bespoke to each retailer that will speak volumes about the brand appeal and items on sale.

• The home shopping market was worth an estimated £19.8 billion in 2008.

• E-Commerce is the largest sector (£14 billion) and has doubled in size since 2005.

• Online sales from store-based retailers account for over half the figure and have grown faster that any other e-commerce sector.

• In 2008, consumers reined in their spending on household goods like furniture, floorcoverings, appliances and audio-visual goods, while clothing footwear, personal care and smaller homewares showed modest growth.

The home shopping market

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Widespread distribution throughout Northern Ireland: broaden your client base and maximise sales by achiaeving national exposure

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As retailers enjoy new sales throughout our region, an ever growing database will quickly evolve. Quick and easy HTML email solutions are available for a fast response to any promotions, events or sales. The look books used by suppliers are often great for promotion of a new fashion

line or range specific to one supplier, but the downside is that these images are shared throughout the country and are not tailored to individual retailers. As independents now stock more and more suppliers within their stores, these look books do not speak volumes about the fashion trends available.

Custom-built website to service our retailers and the public for easy, hassle-free transactions and deliveries/collections

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We solve this issue by creating individual photo shoots for each store, as these shots will usually be of clothes mixed and matched from several suppliers to create the overall independent retailer look.We have a selection of locations planned for a three week photo shoot. Once completed

and with the images rendered and photo shopped they are supplied to each retailer for use within their own marketing campaigns. We can also offer exclusive trade discounts on printed solutions with these including: PVC/Mesh Banners/Posters/Flyers/Booklets & Brochures.

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eA. Green wool tiered ruffle coat £240

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A. Silver silk dress with

beaded neckline £1006 8 10 12 14 16RE 123456789

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A. Checked burgundy shirt £60S M L XL RE 123456789

B. Indigo blue narrow leg jeans £100

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Each retailer will take part in their own photo shoot, with experienced models and industry leaders from fashion styling, make-up and hair dressing to deliver tailored shots bespoke to each retailer that will speak volumes about the brand appeal and items on sale. Our catalogues will be distributed nationwide and our customers can purchase anything published within our pages via our website (www.style-depot.co.uk). Our retailers can benefit from the convenience and comfort that home shopping brings to the public. Our website

has been custom built to service our retailers and the public for easy, hassle free transactions – payments and orders are sent directly to our retailers and our courier network will handle all courier collections and returns. Our website also allows for regular result tracking for progress and promotions. Readers can interact with our retailers through image and video whilst learning hints and tips from industry leaders as they make their purchases. All internet sales are commission-free and the full sale price goes directly to our retailers.

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jack and jones

A. Checked mauve/black oversized shirt £60

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Market sizeThe total market for UK home shopping was valued at an estimated £58.34bn in 2007 more than double the £28.02bn spent in 2003.The e-commerce sector has exploded (largely due to the growth of Internet shopping).

The UK Home Shopping Market by Sector by Value at Current Prices 2007

E-Commerce £48,500General mail order £4,342Direct Marketing £3,288Direct selling £2,214

E-CommerceThe internet now claims around 18% of total consumer spending, yet five years ago the figure would have been negligible. The Internet offers convenience and can save consumers money. It is much easier to compare pices over the internet than comparing prices in shops. Rising broadband penetration is also driving the market.

Overseas TradeThere is undoubtedly a significant level of cross-border trade associated with home shopping, largely as a result of the global reach of the internet. 1

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