Langley’s Homegrown Success Story 

Sonya Perkins knew it was time to grow out of her shop (again) when it began bursting at the seams with customers and stock. Perkins began Forever Yours Lingerie 12 years ago on Fraser Highway in a 600 square foot unit. In five years, the business once again outgrew its space and moved into 2100 square feet, with a staff of four. Fast-forward a few more years, to a staff of 12 and a demand for service that has risen out of a customer base that has grown tremendously. On their busy days, clients have to wait upwards of an hour just to get into a fitting room!

What Sonya has tapped into is a niche market where her products are not only in demand, but require a high level of service that she and her staff excel in. Plus-size lingerie is a specialization that spelled success for Forever Yours Lingerie. Customers need to be expertly fitted and the apparel needs to be matched with the right body shape. This service-intensive business requires not only a comfortable space for both customer and sales associate, it demands a lush surrounding that supports the value of the products being sold.

Taking a look at her business, Sonya realized the need for growth once again. Going from 2100 square feet to 6000 square feet meant a careful study of the new space. She had to ask some very important questions: How would customers navigate this new space? Where will the different merchandise categories be housed? Sonya knew she wanted a shop that not only had enough fitting rooms to eliminate wait times, but she also wanted one that was a pleasure to shop in.

Planning for the new space meant a layout that fit the L shape of the unit, while fixturing and category plans needed to be drawn up to accommodate the space. Apart from this, addressing image and identity was also an important priority: How could Forever Yours Lingerie’s logo and colours be effectively incorporated consistently from the storefront to the store’s interiors? 3D imaging was used to review the planned new shop before renovations began. 

A layout plan, incorporating a racetrack with grid, makes shopping a breeze at Forever Yours Lingerie since a defined traffic path ensures easy access to all areas of the shop. When coupled with a category plan that houses specific categories within its own shop, these plans have made finding things easy and browsing a pleasure for customers.

The new space has enabled Sonya and her team to comfortably serve their customers both on the sales floor and in the fitting rooms. They have also been able to expand the width of their product selection to include not just plus-sizes but also smaller ones. Rooms for special events such as customer appreciation nights and fitting seminars and classes are now feasible too.

More importantly, Forever Yours Lingerie saw an increase of 37% in November overall store sales compared to last year’s sales, 21% in December and 32% in January!

Witten by: Natalie Tan, President of Retail Excellence Consulting. She can be reached at 778-881-3008 or by email at nt@retailexcellence.com. Visit her website at www.retailexcellence.com.