Well-known New Zealand eyewear distributor Little Peach took a double booth at ODMA25 as part of its new push across the Tasman for its brand Face & Cie.
The move was triggered by Zenka, which designs and manufacturers Face & Cie in France, after its original distribution arrangement in Australia didn’t pan out, said Little Peach founder and co-director David Bearpark. “As we historically have had a strong and successful relationship with the supplier, we were given the opportunity to launch in Australia… and the potential to be successful in a market of 25 million was too good to turn down.”
Face & Cie is a unique brand that allows the wearer to change the colour and style of their glasses using multicoloured and intricately designed clips, which can be attached to the frame. “Face & Cie have literally hundreds of colourful clips to fit over a multitude of frame colours. (The brand) is targeting the lady who likes to change her look inexpensively without buying a separate frame and lenses to update her appearance,” said Little Peach on its website.
Bearpark said his company was initially focusing on Queensland and results so far have exceeded both his and his new Australian customers’ expectations. Like New Zealand consumers, Australian consumers appear to like the concept and are buying, he said. “Our job now is to partner with the right stockists to make it happen.”
Though Little Peach distributes a number of mainly European brands from its offices in Christchurch, Bearpark, who now runs the business with his son Jon, said the company has no intention of distributing any of its other brands to Australia as they all have successful distribution agreements with their suppliers. With Face & Cie in Australia, Little Peach will only be targeting specific practices, he said. “We don’t want as many stockists as possible; we want the stockist who can see the potential, to get behind the brand and promote it as a priority. The website www.zenka.fr is very user friendly and we are already experiencing practices and consumers alike going online to see the full collection, which is huge.”
