(Vancouver, Canada September
1, 2003) When Rob Buell, President of Kudos
Leathergoods was given a pair of leather baby shoes as a
gift for his newborn son Jack, he knew he had a product
that with some improvement, had great potential. After
all, his company has been producing high quality,
Canadian-made leather goods since 1986!
Located in the middle of Vancouver's
Cut-Make-Thread district Jack & Lily evolved as a
subsidiary of Kudos Leathergoods. The key market
attraction to the shoe is the design: toddlers cannot
pull off the shoe, it doesn't fall off, there are no
laces to come undone, it's machine washable and
pediatricians highly recommend the style as being the
next best thing to bare feet for the newly walking
toddler. Jack & Lily is a more elegant and upscale
shoe compared to similar products in the market, however
the wholesale price is the same or lower then its
competitors. They are made from a premium-grade
"soft-touch" Italian lambskin; additional options include
a soft patent lambskin or an ostrich print lambskin.
Packaging and presentation are also key to the success of
Jack & Lily with an easy to merchandise, high
quality, high exposure, clear handle bag that can either
hang or sit on shelving. Jack & Lily sells well in
children's wear boutiques, children's shoe stores and
gift stores.
"Other key factors to our success
include our in-house design staff - who travel regularly
to the European markets, highly organized production
scheduling and strong vendor relationships", commented
Mr. Buell. "We work closely with both our vendors and
our customers in making decisions regarding designs,
color combinations and the quality of our leathers. It
is important to the credibility of the company that our
customers understand we are devoted to keeping up with
the latest fashions by closely researching the current
color trends."
Jack & Lily's other advantage is
the control and management of their facility for the
assembly stage allowing for high quality control and
inventory management. All popular styles and sizes are
in stock and ready to be shipped, allowing for efficient
delivery and customer satisfaction. Minimum opening
orders are 24 pairs and minimum re-orders are 12 pairs
with no restrictions on style or size.
"Since launching Jack & Lily,
sales have been explosive," said Mr. Buell. "Our stores
are enjoying multiple repeat sales which brings the foot
traffic back into their establishments. We are exceeding
our sales forecasts and are very optimistic about the
future. We are constantly introducing new and unique,
cutting-edge designs - so please check back with
us!"