RUSSIA: Wild Orchid has become the first major Russian retail chain to enter the British market with the opening of its Vendetta outlet

Russia's biggest lingerie company, Wild Orchid, is taking its first step towards expansion into Europe by launching its first retail outlet in a British shopping centre. Located in Kent, within an hour of London, Bluewater is one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. The first Wild Orchid store has been opened under the retailer's brand name "Vendetta". As well as Vendetta products, the shop in Bluewater also stocks ranges from other brands, such as Christian Lacroix, Roberto Cavalli, Dior and John Galliano. The retailer is aiming to target both British women as well as the large community of Russians who now live in the UK. "We are aiming at both. We know that Russian women will know the brand name Wild Orchid and not necessarily Vendetta. But we will get message out to them that we are the Wild Orchid group, and all Russian women love our products, so we are hoping that they will come to the first shop in Bluewater," said director of Wild Orchid-Vendetta Ltd in Europe, Melanie Vance. Vance says of the reasons Vendetta opened their first store in Britain was because women in the UK buy, on average, three bras and seven briefs a year, the most per head in Europe. "We feel that there was a missing gap in the lingerie market in England from Marks and Spencer's to the department stores. Even though the department stores are multi brand, we have condensed all of the high end brands here along with our own brand's sort of midlevel range, so its all in one unique location," Vance said. The price range for luxury lingerie in the store varies from 30 pounds sterling (45 euros) all the way up to 200 pounds sterling (300 euros). Although many of the customers who browsed the store's range agreed that the products were worth such high price tags, not all were in a position to buy them. "If I got a bonus I think I would. But I have to save up my pennies to come and buy something in here. But I would get it, it looks like it's worth it," said Lindsay, one of the shoppers. "I think it's a really nice shop and I like everything actually. You know, I wish I could afford all of it," Suzanna added. For some customers, Vendetta represents the extravaganza of Russian wealth so often commented upon in the West. Émigrés in London have done much to add to the image of glamour and wealth associated with Russian women. "I think Russian women have a very good reputation for being very pretty and attractive, yeah I think it probably does add something to it. I think especially in the last three or four years, Russians are travelling a lot more now and we see many more Russians all round the world. And I think they've created a sort of, it is a very wealthy country now, and there's some very wealthy people. So, if this is doing well in Russia I am sure it will do well in the upper echelons of Europe as well," said shopper Andrew Mills. Wild Orchid is a well-established brand name in Russia with over 200 shops both in Russia and Ukraine. The company opened its first boutique in Moscow in 1993, before gaining exclusive distribution rights for a number of leading brands in Russia. It plans to open another three shops in Britain by the end of the year.

ITN Source | August 29, 2007

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