Holt Renfrew has launched a print magazine – Holts – to give shoppers a 150-page peek at the products available at the privately-owned luxury retail chain.
The retailer will publish the magazine three times a year – spring, fall and during the winter holiday season.
Kimberly Grabel, senior vice-president of marketing and customer service at Holt Renfrew, told Marketing that a print magazine is a way for the retailer to tell collectively the various elements of its brand story.
“We talk about women, we talk about men, we talk about beauty, and we felt it was time to remind customers in the marketplace of the real breadth of what Holt Renfrew is about,” Grabel said.
The premiere issue uses a tumble cover and features a range of clothing and accessories for men and women. Holts consists mostly of full-page fashion photography that was shot in Toronto and Montreal. (Behind-the-scenes coverage of the shoots can be seen on the retailer’s blog.)
Grabel said the in-house creative and marketing departments work closely with the buying team to determine which brands to showcase in the magazine. Holts’ creative director, Sandy Kim, and her team produce the magazine, while former Hello Canada publisher Lisa Tant oversees editorial pages.
The last few pages of both the men and women’s sections of the magazine feature editorial content that puts a spotlight on this season’s must-have items. Gabrel said the team would continue to “pepper in more editorial” in future issues.
Holts, which is distributed in-store and to Holt Renfrew’s vendors and “top customers,” also includes full-page ads that are negotiated “as part of larger partnerships,” with preferred vendors, said Grabel.
“We’re certainly going to be looking at the sales generated from it and not just the individual items on the page, but we also see it as a call to action to come into the store to see what we have for fall,” Grabel said.
To support the launch of the magazine, Holt Renfrew gave social media influencers advanced copies ahead of the magazine’s Sept. 3 debut and encouraged them to share their thoughts using the #HoltsMag hashtag.
