stick to its strengths and not chase business outside of its expertise, he is in no way standing still. Just take a look at how he’s expanded the Babyworks collection to what is now almost 80 percent of the sales and production for the entire company. When it launched 15 years ago, the line was a newborn resource, but five years ago, retailer requests prompted the company to expand into infant apparel. According to Dunbar, that size range now represents 40 percent of the total volume for Babyworks. Eventually the company also moved into wovens and playwear. Following those successes, and more customer entreaties, the brand grew to include toddler sizes as well. Retailers are still clamoring for more, and it’s no wonder. Robar boasts 99-percent on-time delivery, which on its own would be music to any merchant’s ears. Its reputation has allowed Robar to branch out with the Mini Muffin label, a better newborn and infant collection that launched last year. Like Babyworks, Mini Muffin aims to give shoppers more for their money. With this line, that means European styling at prices that appeal to gift-givers and moms. The collection has also opened new doors for the company, which had previously been focused on mid-tier distribution. Thanks to the relationships and expertise of senior vice president Kim Power, whose career at vendors like S. Schwab gave her experience with these retailers, the line has garnered kudos for its more sophisticated yet age-appropriate styling. With both Babyworks and Mini Muffin, Power’s goal is the same: to add spice to the retailers’ floors. “I’m in the stores every week,” she said. “In the kids’ department, there’s not a lot of newness.” With an eye to the trends and an openness to fresh opportunities, Robar has inarguably positioned itself as a resource retailers can rely on to diversify their assortments.
to moving forward in every aspect of its baby business. By Caletha Crawford What makes Babyworks stand out? Peter Dunbar: One thing that makes us different from our competitors is our multi-piece, mix-and-match sets. We’ve been able to coordinate, design, and ship woven and knit combinations of various fabrics that mix and match and that offer very value-driven product. The wovens vary from baby corduroy to corduroy to denim to twill to sheetings, and they coordinate with various novelty knits. Kim Power: Our sets have four pieces whereas [competitors’] only have three pieces. We offer two complete outfits on a hanger at a great price. P.D.: I pride myself on our quality, which is the highest standard in the industry. Another stickler for me is [ensuring] that we ship 99 percent of the product that we commit to on time, which is a major plus for any retailer. Our existing accounts over the years have continued to grow because of that. That’s an impressive delivery track record. How do you do it? P.D.: I attribute it to being really organized and on top of our production line. We have an office in Shangai with 18 employees—five quality control people and four merchandisers who are in the factories all the time watching the product. It’s not an easy task. It is very difficult and you really have to watch it and keep on top of it. For most of the factories we deal with, we also support their production line pretty much 100 percent, which is how we’ve built relationships there. Has this value-driven model helped during the financial turmoil? P.D.: We’ve been affected by the slowdown in the economy, but that competitiveness has allowed us to remain a player in the industry. E A R N S H AW S . C O M • A U G U S T 2 0 1 0 2 7