Country Road - History

History

The company was founded in 1974 by Stephen Bennett, initially as a shirt label. It grew rapidly to become Australia's first lifestyle brand. It's growth during the 90's extended in both product range and location, operating over 100 stores at its peak.

It was relaunched in July 2004 as a company that has higher volume sales and lower product prices. In the years 2006-07, Country Road has reduced its prices by 25%, resulting in a 70% rise in sales volume. Prior to the re-launch, Country Road was a retailer with a premium price and a strong brand identity. The current head designer for Country Road is Sophie Holt (previously chief designer for women's fashion chain store Witchery). Its head office is located in Richmond, Victoria, the Australian flagship store is located nearby in South Yarra, Victoria. The Northern District head office is located above the flagship store of New South Wales, in Pitt Street Mall.

Beginning 2003, Country Road entered into an exclusive agreement with Myer department stores. Under this agreement, Country Road agreed to sell exclusively to Myer and not to its main rival, David Jones Limited. It also included joint marketing and in-store visual merchandising. This arrangement ended in January 2007 when Country Road became a concession store in David Jones and selected Myer stores. There were also stores in Boston, Chicago, New York City and other cities in the United States, as recent as 2000 or later, which closed due to poor sales.Template:Http://wikifashion.com/wiki/Country Road