Puerto Rican menswear retailer Clubman launches online store
Puerto Rican men’s clothing retailer Clubman unveiled its new hybrid concept that includes a virtual store and a new pick-up service at its flagship store in Santurce.
The online store, which entailed a $25,000 investment to set up, features all of Clubman’s collections, from casual to formal. Shoppers can choose to pick-up their purchases at the store or have it shipped in Puerto Rico and the United States.
“We had started the virtual store concept at the end of last year,” said Leonardo Cordero-Suria, owner of Clubman in Puerto Rico. “The pandemic made us reaffirm the need to fully evolve to an e-commerce platform. It gave us the time needed for such an ambitious project as going into e-commerce.”
“Our competitive advantage is that we have a showroom-type location, where the client can pick up their merchandise, go see it in person or make any changes, even if they have received the clothes by mail,” he added.
The investment included the platform, staff training sessions, the photo study and the associated equipment to create and edit content, he said.
Clubman’s showroom is located in the basement of Leonardo Fifth Avenue in Santurce, which is larger than the store it had in San Patricio Plaza. The online store will eventually feature more products to appeal to a younger buyer.
“We’re optimistic that we’ll see Clubman’s products become more accessible to markets outside Puerto Rico and we’ll be part of a new new kind of buying trend that requires the clothing store to present a hybrid way of buying between — the ability to visit the store, but with more personalized and accessible services from the comfort of home,” Cordero-Suria said.
“There’s no turning back now. It’s imperative for retailers who want to survive to include e-commerce in their business model” he added.
Earlier this year, the retailer that also owns Leonardo Fifth Avenue opened its first location outside Puerto Rico, in Florida, as this media outlet reported. The store was inaugurated in February and he said it met its sales goals that month and in March.
“The acceptance was phenomenal. However, the pandemic hit us and we were forced to close in April for 90 days,” he said. “We continue to work with great enthusiasm for the brand to continue to be known.”
So far, the retailer’s stateside location “has maintained a level of sales that allows us to cover the cost structure of the operation, while we patiently prepare for what will be Summer 2021 when we hope to reach the goals that we established as an organization,” Cordero-Suria said.
