Perth businessman Roberto Pierucci decided to put the “customer is always right” retail philosophy into practice when a Kiwi tourist suggested he open a store in New Zealand.
“Our stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane always have Kiwis shopping in them when they are on holiday or over for business, with the common request always being ‘why don’t you open a store in NZ, there’s nothing like you there’,” Mr Pierucci said.
After researching the NZ fashion market, Mr Pierucci, owner of the Pierucci fashion label, said he found that there was a similarity to many of the product offerings, and believed the Pierucci product was sufficiently different that it would stand out.
So, late last month, Mr Pierucci opened Pierucci New Zealand.
“So far the reaction has been very pleasing, with an email sent out to our Kiwi customer base seeing them rush in to view and purchase the latest range,” he said.
Another reason for expanding internationally was to ensure the company could achieve economies of scale in production.
“And to ensure we could deal directly with the Italian textile mills, which produce the type of fabric used by better end designers and labels,” Mr Pierucci said.
“We are currently looking at other markets and I’m keen to establish the brand in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and China.
“I get approached all the time to establish a venture with someone overseas but I like having full control of what I do, and consequently rarely take up the offers.
“However, in markets like China, I am talking to potential joint venture partners.”
Mr Pierucci said he had encountered a number of challenges while setting up in NZ, which despite its proximity to Australia, operated differently in a range of areas. “Finding out about those things and having to deal with them can be quite time consuming and at times frustrating,” he said.
Mr Pierucci told WA Business News that, now the Auckland store was up and running, he was looking forward to returning to Perth and finishing his property development at the Murray Street headquarters.
“A cafe is being built right now at the rear of the building opening onto Wolf Lane. A men’s shoe boutique will follow and hopefully a super-cool basement bar in the near future.”
