Building a home at Bradlees: with a beefed-up selection and innovative displays, Bradlees' window treatments have arrived as a destination department

Building a Home at Bradlees

Bradlees long has prided itself as being a cut above the general run of discounters when it comes to curtains and blinds.

"We like to think curtains are a destination department at Bradlees," said Herb Douglas, vice president and general merchandise manager, hard lines. "We like the curtain business."

Now, in a bid to generate even more sales and profit per square foot from the category, Bradlees has taken a bold step backwards toward a basic principle of discounting, massing out the merchandise.

As evidenced in its newly remodeled prototype that reopened here last month, Bradlees is making a more powerful presentation of window treatments by switching to two 40-foot gondola runs instead of dividing them among six 16-foot gondolas separated by aisles and endcaps.

Moving up in height to 10 feet from five feet, the new gondolas display curtains on actual windows mounted above packaged curtains.

And in another merchandising innovation, Bradlees now pegs curtains on J-hooks, instead of displaying them on shelves.

"We believe we'll be able to stay in stock better and reorder easier with pegged curtains," Douglas said. "Because there are so many sku's, curtains are messy and cluttered when on shelves."

With shelving, "It's hard to see what you have, both for the customers and store personnel." But on peg hooks, both customers and stock clerks can see at a glance what's available and what needs to be reordered.

But by staying better in stock, "maybe we can do some more business," he said.

The window treatment planogram consists of two 40-foot gondola runs in a U-shaped pattern, plus side and back walls. Previously, the planogram called for three runs of two 16-foot aisles surrounded by four-foot aisles and endcaps. "It's the first time we've used 40-foot gondolas," he said.

By eliminating the third run and wasted aisle space separating 16-foot gondolas, Bradlees is able to merchandise the same number of sku's in about 15% less linear space and about 20% less floor space, Douglas said.

A bonus is that aisle space increased to five feet (from four feet), without sacrificing display space, Douglas said.

Bradlees has made no changes in price points, which range from $2.99 up to $40 for drapes.

In vendors for drapery hardware and miniblinds, Kenney remains the sole vendor. In curtains, "we do business with about 15 vendors," Douglas said.

Bradlees also is trying to grow the miniblind end of the business with a four-foot, Kenney special-order desk that offers three qualities of miniblinds, one of vinyl and two of aluminum, as well as vertical blinds.

Bradlees tested special orders last year in about 18 Philadelphia stores, said Barry Berman, executive vice president, merchandising and marketing.

Despite being rolled out chainwide, "the program is still a test," Berman said. "It needs more evaluation."

Bradlees introduced its new look in window treatments at two remodeled units, Broomall, Pa., as well as Bordentown, Pa., and will debut it at remodeled stores set to open in October in Jersey City, N.J., and Dedham, Mass.

In addition, replacement stores in Enfield, Conn., and Kingston, Mass., will feature the new look when they open in November, Berman said.

Bradlees is confident enough in its new window treatments program to make treatments program to make it standard for all new remodels, some 20 next year, said Sandra Colby, divisional merchandise manager, home fashions.

Bradlees added two new top treatments to coordinate with its stock miniblinds, Home Curtain at $7.99 and Corona at $14.99, Colby said.

Nevertheless, the selection remains pretty much as before, she said, "more with-it and upscale than at most discounters."

Sales were excellent during the first week of the new merchandising system, Colby said, "but it's too soon to tell" about how it will do over the long haul.

In switching to pegging from shelving, Bradlees got all its vendors to change packing to resealable plastic bags, she said.

With curtains, customers who open the package to see how they look, "are always a problem," Colby said.

With pegging, though, customers can see better what the merchandise looks like without opening packages and perhaps that will reduce that problem.

The new system is "more impactful, offering a fuller display," she said. "Hanging brings merchandise out in the open. Customers don't have to root around to see what we have on the shelves."

Sales trends favor lace looks, as well as black and white, especially in polka dot fabrics. Top treatments also are doing well, Colby said.

In stock sizes of miniblinds, Bradlees offers five colors in each price point.

For custom orders, which take two weeks for return to the store, the color selection doubles to 10 in each of three price points. In vertical blinds, the Kenney program offers a large number of fashion fabrics, Colby said.

The order desk features four samples of miniblinds and two of verticals. Color and fabric swatches are encased in clear plastic.

A complete set of ordering instructions is displayed on the back of the desk. If all else fails, the instructions conclude by advising customers to call a Bradlees associate on the nearest customer service phone for assistance.

PHOTO : Kenney, Bradlees' sole vendor for miniblinds and drapery hardware, has designed a desk where shoppers can place special orders.

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