England – 02/02/2012 – The clothes rail fell out of fashion with many retailers but now it appears to be making a comeback
The fashion industry, like many other industries, is quite fickle. They are always looking at new ways to attract customers and tempt them to buy their wares. At retail level, how clothes are displayed and merchandised tends to cycle. A few decades ago, all clothes were displayed using a stand-alone clothes rail.
Over time, shops adopted new clothing display options and the use of clothes rails largely fell out of fashion. Traditional, stand-alone clothes rails were only really seen in charity shops. Clothing retail outlets moved across to other forms of railing to display their clothes.
They moved largely to displaying clothes using hooks placed in the walls and round centre clothing rails. Both these formats remain popular and are in wide use. However, the straight clothes rail has experience something of a renaissance.
Straight clothes rails make clothes look good value
Oddly, it is the recession, which is responsible for their renewed popularity. Consumers are looking for good value for money. They are attracted into stores that have sales. When a customer goes into a shop and sees a long straight, traditional clothes rail full of items are on special offer they are encouraged to stay longer in the shop. The fact that they stay in the shop longer means that non-sale items are more likely to catch their eye. Consumers associate traditional, long, stand-alone clothes rails with bargains. This is kind of hardwired into their subconscious by the fact that these rails are extensively used to display sale items and in charity shops.
The Shop Fitting Shop has seen demand for the traditional, old-fashioned straight clothes rail soar. However, not all of their customers are retailers. They are also selling them to homeowners. It appears that people are using them as spare hanging space rather than getting additional wardrobe space built. This trend also appears to be partly down to the current economic climate. People either do not have the money to invest in new and expensive wardrobes or are simply unwilling to do so in the current economic climate.
Contact:
The Shopfitting Shop Limited
Units 4a & 4b
Holmes Chapel Business Park
Manor Lane, Holmes Chapel
England, United Kingdom
Zip: CW4 8AF
Tel: 01477 534 273