Undiz, a year on: has Marie Delahaie brought fresh momentum?
In May 2024, Marie Delahaie took over as managing director of French lingerie chain Undiz, succeeding Isolde Andouard. Delahaie's first step was to work on brand image and a new logo to try to give Undiz fresh impetus, and she is now set on revamping the brand's store concept. Delahaie, 44, who previously worked at Balenciaga, Zadig & Voltaire and Lacoste, has talked to FashionNetwork.com about the areas she is focusing on, as she aims to attract new customers to the brand. Undiz was founded in 2007, and from the start it has targeted Gen Z consumers with its low-cost products.
'Our latest store concepts were very striking, with plenty of black and metallic hues. We now want our collections to take centre-stage in-store, and we're adopting a much lighter palette, rounded forms, bowl-shaped ceiling lights, and cosy fitting rooms with macaroon-shaped seats,' said Delahaie. Undiz commissioned the stores' interior design to Spanish agency Masquespacio.
Undiz isn't planning to expand its retail footprint, but the new interiors concept will be rolled out during the summer in the stores at Paris Saint-Lazare, and in those in the town centre of Tours and Rennes.
Undiz's 157 stores in France (plus the 41 addresses outside the country, chiefly elsewhere in Europe, in the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin) are all expected to adopt the new look by 2028, with 35 renovations per year initially planned. This will include some soft-touch upgrades (new flooring, and walls redecorated in white), given that '65% of our store fleet still has the original all-black interiors.' Seven full renovations and 13 'soft' refurbishments are scheduled in the second half of 2025.
The goal is to broadcast the message that Undiz 'is no longer focused solely on 18 to 25-year-olds. It's a fresh, creative brand, still offering very good value for money, and which is opening up to a new clientèle,' said Delahaie. 'The good news is that, according to the Kantar Institute, 50% of the French consumers they track do not know us. There is therefore potential for growth through our new positioning.'
In recent months, footfall in stores has been satisfactory. 'More people are visiting our stores. We attribute this to our revamped brand image, which has been advertised with plenty of poster displays and city-centre marketing. Undiz is a high street brand, generating 90% of sales through its stores. Having a physical connection with consumers is paramount,' said Delahaie. Undiz's customer base has recently topped the 5 million mark, equivalent to a 35% increase.
Assortment-wise, prices remain low, but the brand's style has slightly shifted away from its hyper-sexy, assertive character, transitioning towards 'a softer, fine-lace feel. We removed from our collections products with a bondage vibe, promoting instead another kind of sexy, based on our corsetry expertise. It's quite a balancing act, keeping prices steady without cutting back on quality,' said Delahaie.
Is there a risk of encroaching on the territory of the group's flagship brand, Etam? Delahaie said that 'even if there is some overlap on certain trends, the group ensures that each brand has its own vocabulary. And price continues to be our differentiating factor.'
In terms of CSR, Undiz says that 70% of its products bear the 'We Care' label, which designates the brand's more sustainable items (made with organic or recycled materials, or using low-impact manufacturing methods, for example sublimation).
Undiz's license portfolio is also changing, featuring fewer Disney characters and introducing new partnerships, for example the retro-garage capsule collection dropped this season in collaboration with Ford. In addition, Undiz is increasingly targeting a male clientèle, and its men's range now accounts for 10% of the business. 'We made a men's underwear photoshoot for the first time this year, and it has worked very well in terms of advertising,' said Delahaie.
Talking assortment, residual inventory remains a challenge in lingerie. 'AI is helping us predict demand and plan purchase orders, especially for year-round products, as well as how to distribute products among our stores,' she said, adding that besides brand image, the range and the retail concept, Undiz's way of working has also changed. Staff are less compartmentalised and the teams are working more closely together, and I'm trying to introduce a more entrepreneurial mindset. I'm noticing that our staff's sense of belonging is growing.'
Undiz is close-mouthed about its annual revenue, which is said to be in the region of €200 million. Delahaie said the result of fiscal 2024 was 'appropriate,' and that Undiz is ahead of forecasts in 2025. 'In the first part of the year, we are also doing better than lingerie market specialists and mass-market retailers,' concluded Delahaie, who has set herself the challenge of a new international expansion drive next year.
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