By ELLEN LEWIS
Last week, following the Salon de la Lingerie in Paris, I had the unique opportunity to visit the MEY Lingerie headquarters in Altstadt, Germany along with a group of extraordinary women, 8 store owners and their compatriots. (check out the who’s who below). The experience was inspirational and chock full of information that elevates my opinion of the MEY brand, which was already very high. Quoting myself, after discovering the brand 2 years ago:
“I am intrigued by their merchandising acumen. Their integration of every facet of lingerie into a lifestyle vision is mesmerizing. Using coordinated colors and prints, Mey delivers 8 dynamic deliveries per year that flow together flawlessly. Within each product category are Never Out of Stock basics which enable the retailer’s fast replenishment and margin growth.”
In Germany, I was exposed to the infrastructure of this 128-million-dollar company. Born in 1928, today it is still a family operation that boasts 1100 employees. Producing 7.8 million pieces annually, 35,000 per day, they keep manufacturing close at hand. 81% of the knitting, 90% of fabric production and 60% of garment sewing stay in house. The remainder is in Portugal and Hungary and all the factories are MEY owned.
In addition, the company maintains a 75% stock position to insure access to quick reorder and delivery. This translates to 7500 stockkeeping units.
MEY has 23 exclusive boutiques. They are the #1 sleepwear brand in Germany and #2 in bras. Their investment in brick and mortar is obvious as they strive to expand their presence in North America. Their efforts to support independent retailers are front and center with creative strategies to boost sales already on the horizon.
Touring the facility, the innovative technology of this company was inescapable. Without going into the nitty gritty (too much detail) I was impressed with some of the unique techniques used to finish fabrics and efficiently cut and sew garments. Multiple certificates confirm their sustainable efforts from yarn development to delivery. It is clearly a state of the art operation.
The robust merchandise offer is compelling. The synthesis of color and print with bras and panties enriches this presentation. It’s a total lifestyle concept with fashion and comfort as the goal.
Mey’s dedication to perfection was clear as day every step of the way. Performing 100% inspections at each phase of production, quality control is MEY’s north star.
But more than any aspect of my trip to MEY and what impressed me the most, was/are the people who run the company, their loyalty to their employees, to their suppliers, their ability to listen and their never-ending efforts to insure a positive working environment at every location.
You can catch them at Curve NY booth 234 and 236.
Thanks also to each of these stores who shared this adventure with me:
Salma Bruno from Beauty Treats in California
Marianne Hassam from Brachic from Ontario
Larisa Olsen from Chantilly Lace in Illinois
Robin Horman from Lilibeas in Pennsylvania
Sylvia Poirier from Lingerie Lalonde in Quebec
Melissa Dean from Mel Lingerie in British Columbia
Robin Molyneaux from Midnight Magic in Alberta
Christina Conquergood from Peaches Lingerie in British Columbia
See & Read More about Mey Lingerie on Lingerie Briefs
