David’s Bridal survived bankruptcy and is now adjusting its business to stay in the game. The wedding retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November of 2018 to slash burdensome debt it acquired through a private-equity buyout years ago. Now, the company is on the other side and is looking ahead. During the process, the US’s largest wedding retailer completely avoided company layoffs and store closures.
David’s Bridal Bankruptcy Breakthrough
David’s Bridal isn’t in the clear just yet. Marriage rates are on the decline and brides are looking for alternatives to the traditional wedding dress shopping process. While wedding dress prices won’t be dropping in stores, the retailer plans on dropping the prices of its bridesmaid dresses. David’s Bridal is also focusing on adding more plus-sized options to its mix.
David’s Bridal’s CEO, Scott Key, told USA Today:
“David’s is an open and inclusive brand, and we support many women with plus-sized needs and petite-sized needs. When a plus-sized woman would visit our store, she would likely be able to try on a dress in her size, which is different than the experience if she visited (a) boutique, but it might not be the dress she wanted. Basically, we are … supporting women of all sizes and giving them an opportunity to try on a dress in their size.”
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Key also told USA Today that its stores are focusing on the customer experience. David’s Bridal is currently working on a one-to-one service model that will be free. The company wants brides to have the attention of a dedicated bridal stylist during their visit, without that stylist having to help anyone else.
The company won’t be hiring any additional staff to be bridal stylists. Instead, it just reworked its placement of employees. Only the senior employees will be dubbed bridal specialists. The more junior David’s Bridal employees will be called ‘dress specialists’ and will handle all bridesmaids and special-occasion sides of the business.
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