Charming Charlie Opens Manhattan Flagship

Situated at 445 Fifth Avenue at 39^th Street, the new Charming Charlie flagship is a showcase for the brand’s new store concept, and was designed in partnership with Callison Architects.  At 16,000 square feet, the three-level flagship in Midtown East is the largest of the brand’s stores worldwide. Key design elements include a two-story, 30-foot tall glass facade, 20-foot tall double doors in the brand’s signature vibrant pink lacquer and a classic residential-style interior that mixes feminine, mid-century accents with luxe materials.

Walnut flooring laid in a Herringbone pattern and a locally sourced marble staircase are contrasted with custom furniture such as pink Tibetan lambskin chairs and a curved blue velvet sofa, unique artwork curated specifically for this location and multiple suspended Tom Dixon brass shades hanging over the grand staircase. The store also features seven themed changing rooms and will be the home to the brand’s private press relations office and showroom.

In the Edit

Founder/CEO Charlie Chanaratsopon was joined for the opening occasion by a variety of top editors such as Glamour’s Cindi Leive, Sasha Iglehart and Gretchen Gunlocke Fenton, Allure‘s Siobhan Bonnouvrier, InStyle‘s Meggan Crum, The New York Observer‘s Jasmine Lobe and Jenny Capitain from O – The Oprah Magazine. The event was held in partnership with Glamour and Step Up, with a portion of the night’s proceeds benefiting Step Up’s mentorship programs.

Charming Charlie opens NYC Flagship on Fifth Avenue. (PRNewsFoto/Charming Charlie)

“We are thrilled to finally have a flagship in New York City,” said Charlie Chanaratsopon. “Opening this store has been a true labor of love for us, and we look forward to offering chic, effortless style and incredible value to the women in this great city…As we think about areas in New York where we could have gone–and we’re still looking at areas of New York–this store hits everything decently well. We will have more locations in the future. This is the best first store.”

“Most of our stores are 5,000 square feet in size–this flagship is almost three times that, 16,000 square feet. We’ve added some elements that are exclusively to the flagship: dressing rooms, brand wall, investment in our brand. We have dressing rooms in all the stores but a lot more here.

Charlie Chanaratsopon added that the flagship’s location near shopping landmarks such as Lord & Taylor and H&M has spurred his staff to think more “about our edit point. We’re going to be much tighter in our edit, but we love that women come in as a daughter and mother. This location hits all our objectives. There’s a lot of foot traffic, an international presence and for growing the brand it really works. Brands aren’t held to international boundaries.”

Launched just over ten years ago, Charming Charlie has grown to over $500 million in sales and nearly 350 stores across North America. In late 2014, Charming Charlie made its foray into the global marketplace opening its first four stores in Canada. Simultaneously, the company signed its first international licensing agreement to open stores outside of North America and will be expanding into the Middle East in 2015. The company subsequently signed its second international partnership agreement with SSI Group (Stores Specialists, Inc.) for distribution in the Philippines. The first Charming Charlie stores are scheduled to open in the Philippines in late 2015.  www.charmingcharlie.com.

Read Full Original Article https://www.accessoriesmagazine.com/120459/charming-charlie-opens-manhattan-flagship

Charming Charlie opens another store

Charming Charlie, the rapidly growing women’s contemporary jewellery and accessory retailer, celebrated the launch of its latest store at Mall of Qatar, recently.

The store was officially inaugurated by Charlie Chanaratsopon, Founder & Chief Executive of Charming Charlie. The store is operated by Apparel Group, Charming Charlie’s international licensing partner, which has further growth planned for the brand in the Middle East.

Known for carrying a wide array of accessible fashion accessories merchandised by colour, the Charming Charlie store in Mall of Qatar offers its customers a full range of products including fashion jewellery, handbags, apparel, small leather goods, scarves, watches, sunglasses, a special occasion collection, and more. Charming Charlie offers unrivalled value through high quality style and an accessible price.

The Peninsula had the chance to gain more insight into the world of Charming Charlie, from the man who started it all, Charlie Chanaratsopon.

After successfully launching the first Charming Charlie store in Qatar last year, you’ve expanded into another location, Mall of Qatar. Why was it important for Charming Charlie to be present in that specific location?

We were very fortunate to have launched our first store in Ezdan Mall in 2016. It was successful in introducing the chain to our customers here in Qatar, and has allowed us to build a relationship with them, and reach a wider segment of women who are fans of Charming Charlie. That success allowed us to expand to another location this year, and I am here today to celebrate the Launch of our biggest store yet in Mall of Qatar.

Mall of Qatar is the biggest Mall here yet and among the most prominent, and it is always in our best interest to expand our reach, and to offer our services to a wider range of clients. Doha is an essential market for our expanding footprint in the Middle East. It’s exciting to bring Charming Charlie’s colourful palette of accessories and playful shopping experience to more women throughout Qatar.

The Qatari market’s demands are ever evolving. What strategies do you implement to make sure these demands are met?

Having launched our first store here in Qatar last year, we’ve come to learn a lot about the Qatari market and its demands. Women of Qatar are like no other in terms of taste and what they appreciate. They are trendy and incredibly fashion-forward, so that forced us to always present them with impeccable products that compliments their taste. Last year was quite the learning experience for us, we’ve grown aware of what works and what doesn’t, so we decided to eliminate the products that the market doesn’t respond well to, and to supply our customers with what they demand. Having our ears to the ground, we now have the ability to expect what the market demands next, and deliver it in a timely fashion.

In celebration of the launch of Charming Charlie’s second store in Qatar, how do you plan on personalising the shopping experience for the Qatari customer?

We have been discussing how to personalise the shopping experience for the Qatari customer, as we know that women of Qatar are all about individuality and what sets them apart, and so we might put out merchandise that is representative of the Qatari identity in the future.

In the midst of this overtly saturated market, how do you plan on staying ahead of the curve, and how do you plan on maintaining a loyal relationship with your large-ranging customer base?

Our team works diligently to always to ensure that our clients get to experience a positive shopping experience at all times, and to provide them with the utmost service, so that they can think fondly of their experience at Charming Charlie. The quality of our products and the speed at which they become available in our stores is our strength. Yes, we do have a large-ranging customer base, but we work hard on pleasing every single demographic target. Shopping and consumer trends have evolved so fast and we’re always trying to be ahead of the trend and to supply the demand of the market, before the market demands it. We have built a strong presence on social media, as it is currently the strongest frontier in connecting with your audience, and we always try to accommodate the market’s ever evolving needs, and trends, without compromising the quality of our products.

Original Post https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/19/02/2017/Charming-Charlie-opens-another-store

On a Winner’s Mindset

Paradigm Shifters is a series of interviews with a select group of women and men from eclectic walks of life. It will highlight unspoken, real-life insights on how they have been able to turn weakness into strength. A naked soul point of view of how their breakdowns were really a preparation for breakthroughs. They are your quintessential paradigm shifters; internal shifts converted into genuine change.

Everything I have ever done has been focused on this underlying theme of shifting the paradigm because, “What we think determines what we feel and what we feel determines what we do.” Hence, why Empowered by You takes lingerie, which has traditionally been seen merely as a tool of seduction and redirected that energy as a tool of empowerment.

I hope from these stories you will look at your own situations, struggles and accomplishments through a different lens. At the very least you will be more equipped with real life tools to change your own paradigm. At the end of the day, we are our own Alchemist turning the silver we were born with into the gold we are destined to become.

How has coming from an immigrant family and the tenacity that you’ve had to endure as a child been parlayed into your business?

I’m a first generation citizen in the US, coming from Thailand. In 1984, my parents started their own business here from the ground up and worked tirelessly every day. I remember seeing their passion, drive and commitment as a great example for me to follow. I think of that often. I believe this is an amazing country that gives opportunities to those that pursue their dreams. I’m grateful to have been born in the United States. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have had the same opportunities today.

How do you see yourself staying ahead of the curve, connecting with your large-ranging audience and advancing with the future of retail?

In 2016, we have to stay ahead and run beside the customer. Shopping and consumer trends have evolved so fast and so much that we can’t win just following the customer. We’re either moving forward or we’re moving backward. That’s the nature of the game these days. A summary of all touch points and interactions our customers have with our brand is what defines it. Today, on average, 50 percent of our customers use mobile phones while they’re in a Charming Charlie store. That’s a significant change from five years ago. We believe the mobile experience is part of the entire customer service experience. It’s another way of interacting and being a part of her day-to-day life. Are we there yet? No, though we’re working toward this and investing to make sure we do it and do it well. Read more : http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/237335/candy-store-for-grownup-women-charlie-chanaratsopon/
 

Do you see yourself as a lifestyle brand?

A lifestyle brand means different things to different people. What are we? We aim, as a brand, to make women happier, more self-confident, and try to add a lot of color to their already colorful lives. We are the most colorful fashion jewelry and accessories brand in the world with the most selection by multiples. Our customers often describe us as the candy store for women, and we love that.

You have so many different female customers providing feedback. A woman from Dallas is going to be totally different from a woman in New York. What is it that you want to learn from her or know about her?

We want to give her what she wants. It’s a never-ending journey learning about our customers. Consumer preferences and profiles evolve quickly. In 2007, iPhones and iPads didn’t exist, so that’s completely changed the backdrop of how people shop and experience brands. The amount of information available to us about our customers has grown exponentially. We look at everything from conversations happening on social media channels to focus groups to shopalongs and customer surveys. We take the summary of all our insights, which helps us reinforce our brand strategy. I think now more than ever agility is an important attribute for brand success. For example, we know that artisan and boho-chic is a more sought after product on the west coast than in the south. The south prefers bold, statement aesthetic compared to the rest of the country. We have multiple ranges of product aesthetics in the stores for every woman. The quantities and varieties are tailored to the specific preferences of the region.

Some of our biggest breakthroughs come from our biggest breakdowns. Have you experienced a breakdown moment in your life as an entrepreneur that eventually ended up being a big breakthrough?

In December 2006, we had three locations, which we merchandised similar to small department stores, not by color. Our stores didn’t have their own DNA at the time. I remember watching this customer shop and she said, “You know what, this would be a lot easier if you put all this jewelry together by color, by table!” I said, “Well, why?” and she said, simply, “Well, don’t you see that it’s easier to shop that way?” Since we only had three stores, we could do things quickly, so we pulled the products and built a color table. We noticed that customers started liking it at the test store, so we brought the color concept to two other locations. As customers responded to it even more, we converted all our stores to merchandise by color. So if you asked 99 out of 100 of our customers, they would tell you we’re the store that has everything laid out by color. That’s our equity, that’s our DNA.

When your eulogy is given, nobody talks about how much your company made, they talk about the type of person you were. What do you want your legacy to be?

I want to be known as the type of person who took a lot of risks, committed to following my bliss, and poured myself into everything. That I loved what I did and my passion for my family, friends and work was unrivaled. That’s what I hope for now. But as I think about this pertaining to business, in one word, it’s leadership. My definition is pretty simple. It’s about making others better as a result of your presence and having it last with your absence.

If your life were a book, what would each of the titles be for 2015 and 2016?

For 2015, “Win or Learn.” The reason I say that is most people say you win or you lose. In my eleven years, since the inception of Charming Charlie, I have had hundreds of lessons under my belt, at least. I’ve learned more from the mistakes than I have from the wins. For 2016, the title would be “Play to Win.” What I mean by that is when you look at successful, growing companies, they mostly, play to win. They’re playing offense. Some people have a different mindset and I call that playing not to lose. These are subtle adjustments, but they’re very different in mindset. As we continue to learn, I hold myself accountable to thinking about that slight difference, always playing to win.

At the intersection of tenacity and passion is Charlie Chanaratsopon. His colorful path has created unparalleled synergy that doesn’t just show, but rather gleams! This story is a testament to how simply listening to your consumer can create an entire innovative business model. Charlie is a quintessential Paradigm Shifter whose minor shift in mind and in product assortment has had a transformative impact. 

Original Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/renata-m-black/charlie-chanaratsopon--on_b_9355498.html