I stopped by Target yesterday to see the second season of Shaun White’s line at Target and to check out Paul Frank’s new line of children’s products for Target for back-to-school.
I followed up with Paul Frank Industries President Ryan Heuser to find out more about the brand adding on this additional layer of distribution while still keeping its higher end distribution model in tact.
Shaun White
The Shaun White display is much larger this year, at least at the Target in my neighborhood, and includes a much larger selection of denim, walk shorts, hoodies, T’s, polos and wovens.
The styles look as on point as any action sports brand out there, and the prices, of course, are much less expensive. Regularly priced, denim is $17.99, plaid wovens $12.99, T’s $7.99, hoodies $16.99, polos $9.99 and shorts $16.99.
Currently, the clothes are even cheaper and are on sale at 20 percent off.
The Shaun White clothes have a lot of action sports and skating imagery including a black hoodie with a drawing of a skateboarder in the air and the word “RIDE” on the front. Another T is a simple pencil sketch of a skateboard. On the Target website, the Shaun White goods are heavily promoted and include the tagline “Save on shredder-ready looks.”
The line also has more basic styles such as this polo, right.
Paul Frank
Also getting a good ride online is Paul Frank’s new line for Target. Julius is prominently featured on the site and the tagline for the line is “adorable and affordable.”
At my Target store, I did not see tons of Paul Frank merchandise. In the girls’ section, there was a small rack of hoodies, sweat pants and T’s in the very back of the section and there was no in-store promotions for it. Hoodies were $18.99, sweatpants $16.99 and T’s $9.99. I also saw Paul Frank pajamas on a rounder with other licensed pajamas for $14.99.
Ryan Hueser, president and co-founder of Paul Frank Industries, shared some details about the project with me and answered some specific questions about the new relationship with Target.
“Paul Frank’s distribution model remains unchanged largely over the past decade. Recently, the company has added new channels of distribution that reflect the product categories that the brand has expanded into. Paul Frank maintains six Paul Frank stores domestically and 30 worldwide, we sell to boutiques, specialty chains and department stores. We have an exclusive deal with Target for Back-to-School 09 which is aimed primarily at the children’s market. As Paul Frank products increase their distribution at retail, there are distinctly different style guides and product lines available at different channels of distribution and retailers. The same great Paul Frank design will be the common thread but the labeling and assortment of the products will be segmented.
What is the target demographic for the new line?
Paul Frank for Target is a distinctive clothing line focused on children. The majority of products are layette through tween.
What categories of Paul Frank goods are in stores?
In addition to children’s clothing, there are school supplies, books, games, electronics, footwear, accessories, bikes and protective helmets.
Is this a new distribution channel for Paul Frank?
Paul Frank bicycles, books, journals and match games were available at target.com last year but the Paul Frank for Target products are new for back to school 2009.
