Woolmark Shops Established Throughout Italy

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31275, 23 January 1967, Page 18

Woolmark Shops Established Throughout Italy

'By

WILLIAM RILEY,

. Wool

Board special correspondent)

By mid-1967, about 3500 Woolmark Shops will have been established in 100 major centres throughout Italy. The coverage will be extended to reach a target of about 6000 shops in 1968. Each shop will carry at least 50 per cent of its textiles stock in Woolmark goods. This project by the International Wool Secretariat’s Italian branch is turning to wool’s advantage what has been a very real marketing problem here. Traditionally, Italy is a nation of small shopkeepers, with few chain stores of national importance. The problem with so many thousands of individual retailers has been to co-ordinate wool promotion effectively on a nation-wide basis.

Woolmark was launched in Italy only 15 months ago. In the last nine months 1000 retailers have joined in the Woolmark Shops’ scheme, giving impetus to the growing home market demand for wool. Its success has been based on the hundreds of “wool friends” the I.W.S. had among shopkeepers in the days when a small budget made effective promotion hard going. These were the people who eo-operated with the I.W.S.

in promoting pure wool merchandise and using display and publicity material sent them. Most have now signed up as Woolmark shops. Directing the project from the branch headquarters at Milan, capital of the country’s industrial north, is 33-year-old merchandising division manager, Mr Guisseppe Alviggi, who came to the I.W.S. four years ago .

The selection of Woolmark shops is no haphazard arrangement, Mr Alviggi explains. First a searching commercial investigation is made of each region, and then discussions opened with selected retailers and agreements signed. The whole operation is documented from Government ahd trade association statistics, and .from on-the-spot inspections. In each region a detailed picture is built up from such information as the purchasing power in towns, the location, size and general standard of proispective Woolmark retailers, and a critical assessment of each business. Then begin the preliminary personal approaches leading to an agreement under which the retailer undertakes to:

Maintain 50 per cent of Woolmark goods in proportion to total stocks of textiles (a stipulation which ensures continued pressure

on the manufacturer to produce Woolmark goods). Display the Woolmark shop sign. During seasonal campaigns to display and distribute Woolmark promotional and publicity material supplied by the I.W.S. In return, the shop is featured in I.W.S. advertisements in local newspapers and supported in other ways. “Our stipulation on Woolmark stocks is an important one, and we keep a close watch on it by periodic inspections of counters, store rooms and stock sheets,” Mr Alviggi said. “The success of the scheme and its general acceptance confirms that our Woolmark advertising is having effect. Italy’s leading chain store — its branches are all Woolmark shops—has told its suppliers it wants all its pure wool purchases to be to Woolmark standard. “Woolmark is important to Italy. Because we have no label enforcement laws, all kinds of wool mixtures and fibre blends are being sold under labels ingeniously implying pure wool. “The Woolmark is the only protection our consumers have that they are getting a quality wool article, and we are making this point strongly in our advertising. We are

telling them to look for the Woolmark shops to get the assurance of pure new wool backed by the symbol’s quality standards.” A recent consumer survey indicates that the message is already getting through to Italy’s 52 million people, one of Europe’s major markets for wool. Recognition of the Woolmark symbol was 63 per cent, and 34 per cent had further knowledge of its meaning—one of the best results anywhere in just a year from its launching.

DECIMAL CONVERSIONS Decimal currency will be introduced in New Zealand in July, 1967. Recommended conversion rates from Is to 5s are as follows:

Is 10c Is 8d 17c Is Id 11c Is 9d 18c Is 2d 12c IslOd 18c is 3d 12c is lid 19c is 4d 13c 2s 20c is 5d 14c 3s 30c Is 6d 15c 4s 40c Is 7d 16c 5s 50c