Business View - July 2015 87
tique, it gets a complete merchandise plan coordi-
nated from corporate. “When we’re setting up a new
store, we’ll lay in an initial inventory through our ap-
proved supplier chain and then, once they open, we’ll
go in and identify the response from the customers.
The beautiful thing about Apricot Lane is, every store
gets to morph their merchandise mix, specific to the
needs of their demographic and their customers. So
the stores are all different. That’s that unique bou-
tique that customers like to see.”
Yet another aspect that sets the Apricot Lane brand
apart, according to Petersen, is that it follows a “broad
and shallow” model. That means that the stores are
based on quick replenishment. There’s always new
merchandise coming into a store, and inventory is not
overly deep. Apricot Lane’s franchisees advise that if a
customer sees something they like in an Apricot Lane
Boutique, they should buy it, because it “may not be
there next week.”
FRANCHISE
