Barkers lifts game plan with All Blacks

Murray Crane of Little Brother and Zac de Silva. Photo / Supplied

Given the typical Kiwi male shops once or twice a year, it is surprising that Barkers has defied recession trends.

It notched up 12 per cent sales growth for the June quarter, on top of 19 per cent growth for the same period last year.

Apparel industry consultant Paul Blomfield says: "There are very few retailers who can claim even parity with last year, let alone that kind of growth."

Three years ago, when managing director Zac de Silva took the helm, Barkers had 15 shops - now it has 27. The focus has been on expanding out of Auckland. It also launched an online store two years ago, which de Silva says generates the same turnover as a physical store.

He says the business' good growth is thanks to careful product and marketing work, resurrecting the label's mass market popularity.

"Barkers used to be really cool in the late 80s, early 90s, then it went a bit off the radar," says de Silva.

Overuse of branding on clothes arguably turned consumers off, but initiatives such as a three-year agreement for dressing the All Blacks in a premium range sold in Barkers stores are paying off.

"When you go shopping with your wife or partner, it can be a bit of a drag," de Silva says.

So by brand association with celebrities such as the All Blacks, "we're trying to get guys to think it's okay to go to Barkers and shop".

The All Blacks also appeal to women, who still make 60 per cent of purchasing decisions, he estimates.

"Women still wear the pants in terms of buying guys' clothes."

In the late 80s and early 90s, women literally wore the pants - namely, their boyfriends' "Barkers trackies".

Barkers sold more than 500,000 pairs in that period. Using a Facebook campaign, "Bring Back Barkers Trackpants", the company has relaunched them - without the branding down the leg.

Alongside such staples, Barkers has also introduced High St designer gear through successful partnerships with Des Rusk and Little Brother - names that pull their own markets through Barkers' doors.

The business' culture has evolved too, with Barkers placing third in the JRA Best Places to Work Survey's medium-large workplace category last year.

The company has also raised $120,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation in the past two years, through initiatives such as its line of celebrity-designed boxer shorts, which has added to "the feel-good factor" for staff.

De Silva wants Barkers to become a New Zealand icon: "We are striving to be a Kiwi success story."