Posted by Margie Rhen Roxas on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 ★
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Walmart joined forces with tween sensation Miley Cyrus and designer Max Azria to offer an exclusive apparel line for the back-to-school season.
The mass merchant's Miley Cyrus & Max Azria collection features trendy shirts, pants, shoes and accessories priced at $20 or less.
The items are merchandised on pallet displays, gondolas and racks configured to create a special section in apparel departments. Signage bears Cyrus' and Azria's names and images, with the singer/actress dressed in ensembles from the collection. The line was introduced in Walmart's Aug. 9 circular, which included a mini-insert featuring many of the same graphics used on the signs. TV spots that broke Aug. 3 also depict a guitar-playing Cyrus wearing the ensembles.
"Our launch of the Miley Cyrus & Max Azria line continues our strategy of engaging customers across categories," John Fleming, Walmart's U.S. executive vice president-chief merchandising officer, said in a press release. "This time, we're bringing together a leading entertainer and a top apparel house to bring exciting product and price leadership to our customers."
"By partnering with Walmart, we saw an opportunity to reach mainstream customers with our product and introduce our designs to a much broader audience," Azria, chief executive officer of BCBGMaxAzriaGroup, said in the release.
Walmart is sponsoring Cyrus' fall concert tour, which travels nationwide between Sept. 14 and Dec. 2. The retailer this month will begin selling an exclusive new Hollywood Records album from Cyrus called The Time of Our Lives. The album is touted on security pedestal ads bearing images of Cyrus -- again wearing apparel from the line.
CD and digital versions of the album, which launches on Aug. 31, can be pre-ordered on the retailer's website. Customers who pre-order the MP3 version instantly receive the album's first single, "Party in the USA."
Stores are also merchandising the newly released Walt Disney film Hannah Montana: The Movie on DVD. Violators in the apparel department cross-merchandise the title.
Cyrus is no stranger to Walmart. Last year, the retailer positioned itself as "Hannah Montana Headquarters." (See "Wal-Mart Catches Up with Hannah Montana" in Related Articles.) Played by Cyrus, the Disney Channel character was featured on signs and displays for licensed apparel, fashion accessories and toys, serving as a key player in the chain's 2008 back-to-school campaign. Some of that merchandise is still available in stores.
Walmart also promoted the television premiere of the Hannah Montana-Miley Cyrus "Best of Both Worlds" concert film last summer, distributing free 3-D glasses to watch the concert. (See "Walmart Solves Back-to-School Equation" in Related Articles.)
Walmart, Bentonville, AR, operates 2,634 supercenters, 880 discount stores, 150 Neighborhood Markets, 603 Sam's Clubs, four Marketside stores and two Supermercado de Walmart units nationwide. U.S. sales in second-quarter 2009 (ended July 31) increased 0.3% to $64.2 billion, as comparable-store sales slipped 1.5%.
published and review by: lyn
source on: (www.instoremarketer.org)
