Apparel and home goods cataloger Blair Corp. yesterday announced that it will drop its four-year-old women’s fashion catalog Crossing Pointe early next year to focus on its core brands. The decision was made, according to a Blair statement, following an extensive consumer and brand strategy survey the Warren, PA-based company undertook to enhance profitability and shareholder value. Blair brought in strategy consulting firm McKinsey & Co. to assist in the study.
“Historically, the core Blair brand has been the cornerstone of our business and generated the growth and productivity to position us for the future,” Blair president/CEO John Zawacki said in the statement. The actions “will enable us to get closer to the markets we serve best, maintain the customer intimacy that has been the hallmark of our business, and further establish the Blair brand for a new generation of customers.” Blair plans to reassign Crossing Pointe staffers to other positions within the company.
Ironically, Crossing Pointe was the first of several initiatives Blair took to move away from its core demographic of older buyers. Most recently, the company in March mailed a revamped version of its Irvine Park title of careerwear for men and women.