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The Olsen Twins, 1 billion $$$ and targeting boys


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Olsen twins fashion Wal-Mart video show

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Teen entertainment moguls Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are joining forces with No. 1 discount retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to bring the buzz of an international fashion show to Anytown, USA.

The 16-year-old twins, famed for their cherubic smiles and top-selling home videos, CDs, books and video games, will unveil their spring/summer fashion line via satellite in Wal-Mart's 2,800 stores across the United States on April 5.

Video monitors tuned to Wal-Mart's PICS television network will screen a 30-minute fashion show, during which age-appropriate models will show off apparel and accessories from the mary-kateandashley line, which is made for toddlers and ``'tween'' girls aged from six to 14.

The video was culled from a fashion preview that took place in Toronto in February. After it screened in more than 200 Wal-Mart Canada stores the following month, year-on-year sales of Olsen products almost doubled, said Robert Thorne, CEO of the twins' Dualstar Entertainment Group LLC banner. He said the fashion show could reach between 5,000 and 6,000 customers per U.S. store.

Talks are under way to screen the video at Wal-Mart's ASDA stores in Britain, with plans to distribute it worldwide via broadcast and cable TV, DVD and home video.

 

$1 BILLION IN SALES

The twins, who are currently studying hard for their college SATs, were heavily involved in the clothing design. The spring line is heavy on pastels, said Judy Swartz, Dualstar's VP of fashion; the summer line is more denim and henna colors. Sportswear, sleepwear and intimates are the top-selling items, she added.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart has been the exclusive vendor of the Olsens' fashion line since January 2001. Last year, apparel accounted for about three-quarters of the estimated $1 billion in retail sales racked up by the pair. Dualstar generated revenues of about $50 million last year, and net profits were ``very close'' to that figure because of the firm's low overhead, Thorne said.

Advertising at Dualstar is virtually non-existent. Still, the Olsens have remained hugely popular since landing a co-starring role as toddlers in the ABC sitcom ``Full House,'' as other young stars have come and gone over the years.

``There are no challenges. I know it sounds arrogant,'' Thorne said of the twins' prospects. ``We continue to have new opportunities with older demographics as they get older. But we also continue to make new products for the 'tweens and the toddlers.''

 

TARGETING BOYS

Already, grown women are buying the Olsens' cosmetics, and petite women are buying the 'tween apparel. Dualstar will launch apparel for infants, newborns and plus-size types this year, and even expects to break into clothing for boys.''

``If Donna Karan can sell to men and Giorgio Armani can sell to girls, why can't we sell to men? We just don't know what age we'll start with. Everybody thinks I'm insane, but I'm sure that we'll succeed,'' Thorne said.

Separately, Sony Corp's Columbia Records label has reissued the 10 CDs originally recorded by the twins when they were aged six to 12. The worldwide deal allows the CDs to reach many foreign territories for the first time.

Nine CDs, including ``Brother for Sale'' and ``You're Invited To Mary-Kate and Ashley's Sleepover Party,'' were released on April 1 in the United States and Canada via the twins' Dualstar Records banner. A Christmas title is set for release in the fourth quarter. The Olsens have sold nearly 2 million copies of their CDs, said Dualstar spokesman Michael Pagnotta.

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