Tovi Mamann's got an eye for a buy.
It's what he credits for the success he's experienced with his minichain of Modella women's stores.
"The fashion industry is special ... it has a newness to it all the time," he said. "It's always changing -- new styles, new fits, new concepts."
At a time when many national retailers are struggling with sales, Mamann keeps his eye on his market: women aged 35 to 55 who need a "package."
"We have women who come in and say, 'Dress me.'"
Modella started in Toronto 23 years ago and has added three stores -- in Dundas, Westdale and Burlington -- with the ink drying on a lease agreement for a fifth store in the GTA.
Such regional chains are the fastest growing category within the Retail Council of Canada's membership base.
Derek Nighbor, vice-president of national affairs for the RCC, says whether or not those chains become national depends on each entrepreneur.
Mamann says that's not in his plans.
He expects to expand to about eight to 10 stores in the next five years. "I don't want to have to fly to my stores."
He also knows that by staying small, he keeps control over the operation.
He constantly travels the globe, attending fashion shows to keep on top of fluid trend changes. Mamann believes his ability to buy is the secret to survival.
"I think it's experience. I was born in this business. My father was a fabric importer from Italy. There is an understanding of buying. It is the most prime part of this business.
"When we go see a program within any collection, I am able to see a room of 400 samples and be able to say these are the 20 or 40 pieces we are going to be able to buy, that's what we're going to home in on.
"For someone nationally, they'd buy the whole package and that's good for them. But if you're buying for (the local market), you've got to buy what is good for that market and your customer."
Three years ago he extended that skill to develop a private collection for Modella.
Mamann has developed a network of other regional chain owners in North America to gain some muscle in sourcing goods. It's a move Nighbor said many retailers are turning to in order to keep prices competitive.
"There are (store owners) which are doing private label to meet a gap in the retail offering," said Nighbor.
"This is an opportunity and a lot of retailers are able to compete on price with private labels.
"There are high-ego and low-ego purchases," he said, noting that some retailers are able to create their own labels or collections that still meet customer demands for value or style.
The real skill then lies in trying to amass something no one else will have.
Case in point: Mamann sourced a low-profile New York designer who has created pieces his gut tells him will sell in Toronto and Hamilton.
In February, he's marketing a new jean style in his Burlington store. If it sells well in two weeks, he may spin it out to the other stores.
If not, it doesn't get ordered.
He keeps the designer's label in the jean, to give the item a sense of exclusivity.
It's all about remaining distinct.
"We have customer service, our stamp is very family-oriented, community-oriented," said Mamann. "We are constantly in touch with our customers through our mailing list and we watch our inventory very closely.
"I have a market that is nonexistent in the malls."
lmarr@thespec.com
905-526-3992
