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A classification model for formal high-end menswear retailers in Italy

Elisa Arrigo (Department of Economics, Management and Statistics, University of Milan–Bicocca, Milan, Italy)
Alessandro Brun (Department of Economics, Management and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy)

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management

ISSN: 0959-0552

Article publication date: 25 March 2021

Issue publication date: 10 August 2021

387

Abstract

Purpose

Despite menswear is gaining a significant relevance in terms of retail sales, it represents a neglected topic within the academic literature. Therefore, this paper aims at providing a better understanding of the formal menswear market by developing a tailor-made classification model for the identification of retailers' clusters and at discovering the critical success factors (CSFs).

Design/methodology/approach

This research looked at most formal high-end menswear retailers in Italy adopting a methodology based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process and multiple case studies. Thirty interviews were conducted with experts, managers and shopkeepers from case studies.

Findings

The study develops for the first time a classification framework of formal high-end menswear retailers and a matching matrix to jointly analyse retailers' clusters and customer profiles in Italy. The results identify the CSFs pursued by menswear retailers and highlight the existence of four clusters of retailers (Differentiated Fashion Firms; Formal Menswear Leaders; Tailoring Firms and Luxury Brands) and seven customer profiles (Habitual Professionals, Special Events, Young People, Occasional Professionals, Foreigners, VIPs and Fashionistas).

Originality/value

The formal high-end menswear represents one of the most traditional Italian heritage markets while being almost ignored in the academic literature. Thus, the value of this research lays in deepening our understanding of this market from the retailers' perspective, by providing for the first time a taxonomy of its players and contributing to identifying the CSFs and the main customer profiles.

Keywords

Citation

Arrigo, E. and Brun, A. (2021), "A classification model for formal high-end menswear retailers in Italy", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 49 No. 9, pp. 1348-1366. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-07-2020-0241

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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