THE CHANNEL OF DISTRIBUTION:
the route that products take from the original source to the end user
The Soft Goods Chain:
The channel of distribution for apparel and home decorating products.
TEXTILE SEGMENT:
fiber production>yarn production>fabric manufacturing>fabric finishing
APPAREL SEGMENT:
apparel designing>apparel manufacturing>apparel sales
RETAIL SEGMENT:
quantity buying>single item selling
The Four Groups Approach:
PRIMARY GROUP: (raw materials)
textiles, leather, furs
SECONDARY GROUP: (manufacturing)
garments, accessories, other products
RETAIL GROUP: (final distribution)
stores, catalog, internet, TV
AUXILIARY GROUP: (fashion related)
consultants, models, marketers, publications, trade associations
VERTICAL INTEGRATION:
performing multiple steps on the channel of distribution
Private Label Goods
COMMODITY, FASHION AND SEASONAL GOODS
Other Textile End Use Industries:
Household Products, Industrial Textile, Home Sewing
Trade Associations:
nonprofit, voluntary organizations med up of businesses that have common interests
Trade Publications:
magazines, newspapers and books that deal specifically with a certain industry or segment of industry
Geographic Locations of industry segments:
Textile: North and South Carolina, Georgia, Italy, China
Retail: everywhere
Channel of Distribution
Soft Goods Chain
Fibers
Yarns
Fabrics
Greige Goods
Four Groups Approach
Vertical Integration
Private Label Goods
Commodity Products
Fashion Products
Seasonal Products
Trade Associations
Networking
Trade Publications
Read Chapter Four. Please follow the links to the two articles above, and spend some time looking at the Women's Wear Daily site. Then, as usual, please leave a comment on this post letting me know what you think!
Homework: Whether you are a manufacturer or a retailer, you need to design a line of at least four sweaters. You should use flats to represent them, but can include a design drawing if you like. You need to price your sweaters! Remember, manufacturers should charge less than the final consumer cost, about 1/2. This should be presented with your work from last week. Keep in mind that you are Competing for the consumer dollar!
