Russell Brands, LLC will introduce an exclusive line of ‘Russell’ men’s fleece and performance apparel at Walmart this fall, representing the first time Russell will sell to the discount giant.
According to Matt Murphy, VP, Retail Marketing, the decision to develop a Russell line for Walmart came
after company officials began contemplating how to best position the
brand around the “exploding” market for athletic and active apparel
that’s being driven by a host of stories around technology and
innovation. Management felt it had a much bigger opportunity to
capitalize on the brand’s “hundred plus years” heritage in the athletics
space.
Murphy told SportsOneSource at its parent Fruit of the
Loom’s showroom in New York City that management also recognized that
the active apparel space had also become “very congested” with a number
of brands ”doing very well in the space and more brands coming in every
day.”
With its wide reputation for authenticity and heritage,
Russell began exploring the opportunity to bring Russell’s technologies
and design knowhow to a “broader consumer base at a more reasonable and
affordable value,” and negotiations with Walmart began. Russell was
helped gaining access to Walmart through Fruit of the Loom, which has
had a long relationship with Walmart on the undergarment side.
Murphy
notes that while the “value” inherent in the Russell line obviously
includes price, it also includes “what’s in the product and how it’s
built. It’s all the features and methods that support performance that
you really can find in any brand out there. But we wanted to do it in a
way that creates a value that’s almost shocking to the consumer.”
A
separate Russell Athletic line will continue to be sold to
institutional team dealers, its largest business, as well as to the
mid-tier sporting goods channel.
For Walmart, the new line is part of a more aggressive push into
active apparel, which has been growing faster than Walmart’s other
apparel categories.
Lawrence Sammuli, senior buyer men’s active
and fleece for Walmart, said that even if they don’t plan to run or
workout in the apparel, the Walmart customer is also increasingly
recognizing the benefit of moisture wicking and other performance
features as well as the enhanced functionality available in performance
apparel.
The Russell men’s collection is being positioned as a “premium elevated
brand” at Walmart to site alongside its Starter and And1 brands. Some Starter items such as fleece will transition to
Russell but having Russell also gives Walmart the opportunity to upgrade
its active apparel offerings. For instance, items such as tech fleece,
mechanical stretch pants and quarter zip tops coming out in the initial
Russell rollout haven’t been available at Walmart or at any of its
competitors in its channel.
“I think there’s an opportunity to
offer a great value equation that’s missing customers in general and I
think that’s where we’re going to have big play,” said Sammuli.
“Customers really understand all the benefits that come from performance
apparel and I think nobody’s really added the value equation that we’ve
added.”
The prices in the Russell collection are low, as expected, with all pieces under $20.
Last week marked the launch of the media push around the launch that’s will start in the second week of August and be fully rolled out by September 10.
