Have had a really busy month, with three Birthdays in our family in the space of a week. So have been into Leicester shopping on several occassions and bought lots of new clothes. Many of the shops have some nice items for autumn / winter. I love red at the moment and there seems to be plenty of it around. My favourite ones for this season being Miss Selfridge, H & M, Top Shop and the new Highcross Zara. I think these new Highcross shops ,being larger than we have had previously are carrying more choice in their stock as well as the shops looking bright and new and therefore appealling to me. I bought a red short sleeve cardigan for myself in Miss Selfridge and an orange long cardigan in Top Shop as well as (finally) a long silk / wool mix navy cardigan in Zara. I also bought a couple of simple long sleeved tops from New Look aswell as a shiney red handbag. For my husband I have bought a couple of shirts for work from Marks and Spencer as well as a Paul Smith jumper from Josephs in Market Harborough. My daughter has had various simple long sleeve tops from River Island and a Tan long cardigan and cream pumps from Top Shop. She has also bought some tan leather boots from Faith with money she had for her birthday. My daughters have also bought various items of jewellery , handbags, tops and knitwear from Primark. But we all agree stock is not very interesting in there at the moment. I am also waiting for Zara to have a further delivery of cardigans I like with gold buttons running between the cuff and elbow, which each time I go in have sold out. They tell me this is one of their best sellers at the moment for only £20 it comes in several colours and you have to be quick to snap one up! I am also looking for some new wider leg jeans but have not found any yet that fit quite right. Gap had some nice ones at competative prices ,but their sizes go up in two inch increments for the waist and I seem to be between sizes. Principles and Wallis both had some that fit but I am not too sure the denim fabric is quite right so will come back to these if I don't find any better.

Aghh! Too many topics all at once to give it my best attention but here goes......

News of the world feature

Thought this was quite a nice publicity idea to bring the George name to the fore but had to read the offer several times to understand what was actually being offered and still not entirely sure if it is just month by month feature or if there will also be an overall winner at the end of the campaign. The clothes that were featured this time on the 'models' did not particularly do any of them justice and certainly would not make me rush to Asda to buy. I realise they have been styled by, I presume a professional, but thought there must have been better choice of items that would suit the girls. Maybe there is some merit in using real models with legs that go up to their armpits to show jeans at there best! No disrespect to the girls, who were all very slim and pretty!

Brands

I think it would be a great idea for George to stock brands. I do not think they should be separated into their own section but intermingled throughout the departments. Therefore encouraging people to notice George items as well, which would compliment the brands. I think to also sell on line as well as instore to obtain more coverage. I do not think they should be limited to certain areas but should be available in mens and ladies casual and smart. With this in mind I have been trying to think of good examples that would realisticly fit into the George priceing levels. Brands such as Miss Sixty or Deisel for example would be too expensive. So my only thoughts were for some of the labels they sell in Republic such as Soul Cal, Life and Legend or Henleys. These are all popular, not too expensive, but high fashion brands, producing both mens and womens wear, T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, jeans as well as more dressier skirts, blouses and shirts. If you wanted to take it a step further they also do accessories.

Bag for Life

When I go food shopping I always take my own 'bag for life'. When I go clothes shopping I never think to do this currently. However, once I have made a purchase any subsequent items I buy I will say 'don't worry about a bag ' and put it in the bag with the first purchase. As long as there is room! I think I would prefer a coated plastic type to cloth but do not think I would buy at the moment. I would still adopt my current policy in saving and recycling. I do not think I would necessarily buy a George one if I ever do decide to go down that route. If I was to take a shopping bag out with me as force of habit I would sooner buy a large bag I had chosen as a sort of accessory. I do think once we are more adjusted to reusing bags on clothes purchases as we have become in food buying situations it is a great idea to give away reusable bags, therefore benefiting from the free advertising. As far as the suggested illustrations are concerned, I disliked the style of the first four, with number 3 'bag it don't bin it' coming in as the corniest slogan. The style of these is far more suited to food shopping than clothes shopping. My favourite bags were numbers 5 and 6 as I liked the shape of the bag as well as the bright yellow and black colours and the very girlie flowery designs. They are 'happy' feeling colours and designs. Which clothes shopping should be.

The experience of shopping at Primark is one I dislike immensely ,but this is totally overidden by the bargains to be found in there! In my view, they have a continuous flow of incoming new stock and do not seem to hold on to stock for long, so each time you go, there are always different items to be seen. Mostly bad, but always "a Jewel" amongst them. During the summer they have stocked many linen items, trousers, cropped trousers, skirts, shorts and shirts in many styles and colours. They are not great quality, but for the price a stock summer item you can not do without. They have also had many variations of plain T-shirts with different sleeves and necklines. With this choice there is a style to suit everyone. For the autumn they have a vast aray of fine knit cardigans and jumpers, again in many styles and colours. Aswell as staple items like the above they will always throw in copies of whatever is the latest teenage must have. For example "Keds" plimsoles. My daughters and their friends all have a pair in every colour. They would have deliveries of them every day but if you were not in the shop before 11am they had all sold! They fall to pieces after a short life but that does not matter to them as they will not be wearing them in another 6 months! It is throw away fashion. I do not think the quality is any better or worse recently. Other key items they often get right are the latest belts and handbags.They are currently stocking a large oversized handbag in various colours,very high fashion and ideal for back to school to carry your books. A sell out again! I do not think George is a comparable. George is slightly better in quality but higher in price and way off the mark for high fashion. In order to sell volumes like Primark, George would need to come down to give away prices like Primark, which would in turn then reduce the quality they could produce. At this level of garment quality I do not think that would matter, as Primark have discovered in their leadership in the marketplace. People will buy in volumes if the price is cheap enough!