Kelso is a clothing label we are all probably familure with, but don’t really consider it to be a brand. It’s more of a label stitched in the inside of the garments where no one can see. We certainly don’t want to wear it as a logo as we would Guess or Nike etc.
Kelso belongs to Edgars and has been around for decades, being the merchandise label which is used to identify the house brand. In its day it was the dominate department in the store, generating the best sales as the product was affordable and classic in style. As the International brands were brought into Edgars, Kelso was reduced in size and moved to the rear of the stores.
One of today’s strategies to assist in turning around Edgars is to bring back Kelso in a big way and flood the stores with this cheaper product moving it to the front of the stores straight in the customers face when they walk through the door. This is the vision to implement and save the Edgars chain.. !
Unfortunately, in my view this is another blunder by Edgars management in a desperate bid to save the company.
Firstly let’s be brutally honest, Kelso is not a Brand and the merchandise is certainly not cool. Consumers have moved on much faster than retailers have, and they know what brands they want and where they want to spend thier hard earned cash. Cotton On, H&M and even MR Price are far more “today” and considered to be on trend and current. Kelso has a stigma of being old and certainly not wanted by today’s buyer.
Edgars have opened a stand alone Kelso store in Tygervalley to test the concept. I went into the store on 1st December 2016, which is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Not only could I not find a customer, but I also could not spot one staff member! This is a red flag, that Edgars are again heading down the wrong road. (Photos taken at 12h45 on Thursday 1st December 2016).
enjoy your shopping.
