Owned by international retailer Pepkor, Postie+ has 65 stores across New Zealand as well as an online store, which offer recognisable brands in womens, mens, and childrens fashions, as well as health and beauty products and homewares.
Modernising a much-loved brand
Henry Lee had extensive experience working with fashion brands like Witchery, Country Road, and Marcs before he took over as the CEO of Postie+ last year. At that time, Postie+ was an iconic New Zealand brand in need of a new direction. One of New Zealand’s largest apparel retailers with a rich 110-year-old history, Henry says the business struggled in the years prior to Pepkor’s acquisition.
“As a business, it is much loved and widely recognised — it has retained a strong presence in areas of the country that other retailers have not supported — but a lot of work was needed to re-engage customers and to modernise perceptions of the brand. Particularly in the context of a new market landscape featuring intense competition and the entry of new international entrants benefitting from both ‘global’ scale and resources, as well as the heavy influence of online shopping across all levels of the apparel industry.”
Affordability and value, backed by quality and trends
Having all Postie+ teams based in New Zealand means that the company has a deep appreciation for the market and how they can best serve their loyal customers. Henry explains his Postie+ teams are made up of people who are experts in apparel, they take pride in the look of their stores, and they hold onto an almost old-fashioned belief that service should come with a smile.
Henry says, “Being based in New Zealand means we are better equipped to understand the needs of everyday Kiwi families. We appreciate the pressures of working parents on tight budgets and, for this reason, we have an absolute focus on affordability and value; supported by quality and fashionability.”
Harnessing opportunities
“Our biggest opportunity, and one only now starting to hit its stride for the consumer, comes through our South African-based parent company, Pepkor. I’m really excited by the ability to leverage global resources something that this relationship provides us. Pepkor generates more than $4.5 billion in sales from 4,000 retails stores globally. Our relationship gives us access to world class skills and capabilities, and massive scale in sourcing and supply chain, says Henry.
“In the two years since Pepkor’s acquisitions, we have done a ‘ground-up’ review of the entire business — from store design and layouts, new fixtures to improve stock densities, revised in-store navigations, and visual merchandising to improve overall customer experience, as well as a rebuild of the processes and procedures surrounding the customer experience and engagement.”
Postie+ key facts
- Company name: Postie+
- Headquarters: Auckland, New Zealand
- Industry: Retail & Wholesale