Independent plus-size fashion store taps into the power of the web

Oct. 27, 2011 - PRLog -- Leading independent plus-size fashion store, Emma Plus of Brighton, is celebrating the 250th post on its online forum/blog.  Emma Plus was the first specialist large-size designer womenswear shop to launch such a customer forum and fashion blog in early 2009 – please see www.emmaplus.co.uk/forum.  

Blogger and store owner Emma Hayes, who also contributes to trade journals and local radio chat shows, uses her twenty-plus years experience in the curvy clothing business to generate material for the blog, which offers a commentary on the fastest-growing area of the fashion industry.

“The forum/blog is a unique opportunity for plus-size women interested in fashion to connect with industry insiders.  Designers are also known to read the comments left on the site, so this is a direct way for this group –  which is often ignored – to make its views and preferences known”, says Emma.

“Since the closure of many prestigious larger-size outlets, such as the plus-size departments in Harrods and Selfridges, curvy fashion-conscious women have had to really do their research in order to track down the clothing they want.  As many of the posts on the forum/blog have turned out to be testimonials from happy shoppers, it has flagged up the store as a worthwhile destination for potential new customers, enabling us to expand during a trading period that has been difficult for many competitors.

“I have tried to express the core values of the store in the blog, because when a woman has to travel half a day to get to an establishment, she wants reassurance about what kind of a shop she is going to find” continues Emma.  “The forum/blog is about comment, expertise and information, delivered in a personal, down-to-earth style, and backed up with plenty of photographs.  That the customers themselves have been so generous with their comments is heartening.”

Emma Plus does not offer internet shopping, although customers can purchase gift vouchers directly from its website.  Emma explains: “Our philosophy is to offer a wide and ever-changing range.  We buy a large variety of styles, but generally only in small quantities of each garment.  It is therefore quite possible for a customer to leave Emma Plus with an outfit that’s totally unique in this country.  Although our ever-changing range model does not lend itself to internet shopping, the use of the web has been critical to our success over recent years.”

NOTE FOR EDITORS

Emma Plus is an independent plus-size designer womenswear store in Brighton, Sussex, UK, and sells mid-to-high end women’s clothing in sizes 18 to 32.  It stocks many leading brands – including Anna Scholz, Marina Rinaldi (the plus-size collection from the Max Mara stable), Elena Miro, Elena Grunert and others.  Established in 1994, the store attracts customers from all over the UK, many of which now discover it through its website: www.emmaplus.co.uk .

A photograph of Emma Hayes, plus-size fashion blogger and owner of Emma Plus, is freely available for download from:
http://www.emmaplus.co.uk/press/Emma_Hayes_of_Emmaplus_Br...

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