Bendon - boom or bust?

Bargain bonanza. Photo / Supplied

Top lingerie label Bendon is moving to discount its intimate apparel as recession-hit Kiwi women refuse to pay top dollar for underwear.

In a move sure to shock the high street, Bendon plans to transform more of its 11 retail shops into outlet stores.

Bendon already has 15 outlet stores, where bargain hunters can buy end-of-season lines.

Now the company has closed its Manukau retail store and is understood to be shifting strategy to move its Elle Macpherson Intimates range more cheaply.

Chief executive Simon Hughes said all clothing companies were finding the recession hard going and less well-off areas, such as Manukau, were "trading down considerably".

"We're following the much more price-conscious New Zealand market."

This weekend, the Westgate outlet is having a sale with nothing over $20.

Ironically at a time of so-called belt tightening, Bendon is launching a new Elle Macpherson range of D-G cup bras.