Harry Rosen has been in the business of selling high-priced menswear for 50 years and has become a Canadian icon. The business has evolved from a tiny tailor shop in Toronto to 15 stores from Montreal to Vancouver. This retailer, with annual sales of $150 million, accounting for 30 percent of all sales of high-end menswear in Canada, has a celebrity clientele and a long list of honours. Not only is Rosen a dynamic retailer, he's a great corporate citizen, initiating major fundraising events in support of prostate cancer research. In 2004, Harry Rosen was named to the prestigious Order of Canada. Harry Rosen at 82 is a psychoanalyst, social anthropologist, businessman, and brilliant marketer. His prize-winning advertisements have become recognized for innovation, such as the series, "What So and So Is Wearing Today" featuring well-known Canadians, from former NHL star Frank Mahovlich to musician Oscar Peterson. Always enthusiastic, Rosen once posed nude, except for a strategically placed necktie-all part of a very creative advertising campaign. Each Harry Rosen salesperson has a commitment to their customers and can access the firm's data warehouse with customer information from any POS terminal in the store. The database tells what the customer has bought in the past and also provides personal information, such as preferences in style and colour. All sales associates are urged to contribute to the Harry Rosen builds loyalty and competitive advantage by using its customer database to tailor its promotional offerings. image and the unique shopping experience it provides its customers. Walmart complements its size advantage with strong vendor relationships and its clear positioning as a retailer that offers superior value. Starbucks combines its location advantage with unique products, committed employees, a strong brand name, and strong relationships with coffee growers to build an overall advantage that is very difficult for competitors to erode. The success of McDonald's is based on providing database. Harry Rosen believes that men are in need of help; they are not like women who like to shop and will make an enlightened choice. Rosen thinks most men are lazy and lack the knowledge critical to choosing quality menswear. The customer database is designed to enable sales associates to advise customers on promotions and develop valuable one-to-one relationships. Even though only 3 percent of Canadian men actually shop in his stores, the first name that comes to mind when most men dream of buying a special wardrobe is Harry Rosen's. Rosen attributes his success to two things: his commitment to quality clothing and his insistence that staff make sure their clients understand why quality matters. vendor relations, and having great locations. By doing all of these things right, McDonald's has developed a huge cadre of loyal customers. McDonald's has always positioned itself as provid- ing fast food at a good value-customers get a lot for not much money. Its customers don't have extraordinary expectations. They don't expect a meal prepared to their specific tastes. But customers do expect and get hot, fresh food that is reasonably priced. The Personal Touch Harry Rosen is a very successful men's fashion retailer, operating 15 stores in key urban markets across Canada and two outlet stores in the greater Toronto area. Larry Rosen has been in charge of the company business since 2002. The business was founded by his father, Harry Rosen. One of the foundations of the company, and a key factor that has contributed to ongoing success, is stay- ing in touch with customers. When Harry was in charge it was very common for him to patrol the retail floor, interact with customers, and help them select just the right piece of clothing. Now that son Larry is in charge, nothing has changed. "My dad taught me. I hold the same values," says Larry. Larry admits to being old school but he firmly believes that customers want knowledgeable staff who are prepared to work hard to ensure customers buy the right piece of clothing and receive the proper level of service. In this regard, Larry's frequent presence on the retail floor sets the bar high for his staff. The emphasis on personal interaction with custom- ers and customer service is a wise strategy to follow as it fits well with the needs and expectations of Canadian shoppers. Some recent research on consumer buying considerations indicates that 70 percent of Canadians enjoy their retail shopping experience. They say that loyalty and the in-store experience are very important. The research suggests that it is absolutely critical that retailers focus on the experience and on understanding their customers' needs. A host of Canadian fashion retailers have gone out of business in the last few years-perhaps they didn't get the message. Successful retailers today have the right people in place to assist customers with their buying decisions. Nobody does it better than Harry Rosen. Harry Rosen is a customer-centred company whose goal is to provide fashion goods that fit the lifestyle of its customers. Of course, the level of service provided goes well beyond the retail stores. Harry Rosen has an active website that counsels current and prospective customers about fashion trends and how to build just the right wardrobe. HARRY ROSEN Source: Based on Jon Stoller, "Why the personal touch never goes out of fashion," The Globe and Mail, December 13, 2012, p. 810. Generally speaking, a low-key approach involving positive customer contact in a pleasant and courteous manner is the main ingredient for retail selling success. In retail, the sales- people are the most essential point of contact in the purchasing process-integral to a well-planned integrated marketing communications program. Harry Rosen is a successful Canadian men's fashion shop. For insight into its approach to personal selling read the IMC Highlight: The Personal Touch. BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS SELLING Business-to-business salespeople either sell products for use in the production and sale of other products, or sell finished products to channel members who in turn resell them. For example, a Xerox sales representative sells photocopiers to another business for use in its daily operations; a representative from Sun Life sells another company a health insur- ance plan to that will benefit all the buying company's employees. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Mario Beauregard 1. Describe the Personal Touch experience at Harry Rosen. 2. Identify why Harry has been so successful in marketing to the high-end menswear market segment. 3. How far will Harry Rosen go to serve its customers?