Finaref launches the Madelios private-label card
The Madelios card, marketed under "le privilège de l’homme" ("a man’s privilege"), will be launched on 18 June 2007. The card bears the logo of the Paris department store dedicated to men’s fashion. This is the first time Finaref has issued a card linked exclusively to a single store. The card carries a number of benefits: payment facilities, reductions, gifts and a host of services and benefits.
The Madelios store needed a private-label card bearing its name and corporate image to boost its expansion and so it developed this card with Finaref. The card’s appearance reflects that of the store, with the black background giving it a chic, sober and highly masculine look. By offering the new card to its customers, Madelios is aiming to increase customer buy-in and recognition of the Madelios concept. The goal of this new private-label card is therefore to increase customer loyalty. As well as driving sales, the card is intended to increase the store’s footfall and average spend.
Valérie Tormos, who manages Finaref’s relationship with Madelios, made the following comments: "This card is the result of joint analysis and development work by Finaref and Madelios staff. With this card, we are supporting our partner’s expansion by providing our expertise in private-label card management."A range of services and benefits
The Madelios card is free of charge and holders enjoy a host of benefits. These include a 15 per cent reduction throughout the store on the day the card is taken out, exclusive discounts ranging from 15 per cent to 30 per cent several times a year for either the whole store or a selection of articles from leading brands. With the Madelios card, shoppers can pay at a rate that suits them, with payment facilities appropriate to the purchase amount.
Customers can track their card payments through account statements but also on the internet, through an automated telephone service and by calling a Finaref advisor. Payments with the Madelios card are made secure by the use of a confidential and customisable four-digit PIN number. A number of other services are offered, such as free delivery within central Paris, an hour of free parking and 50 per cent off alterations.
Madelios’ manager César Wallois emphasised that "Finaref is a major player in private-label cards and we will benefit greatly from its expertise in managing customer accounts associated with the new Madelios card. The card will give us greater insight into our customers, and help us respond more effectively to their needs by offering specific services and benefits. " A breakthrough for private-label cards
The Madelios card is unusual for a private-label card in France, since it is available only to customers of the single Madelios department store, whereas finance companies are currently focusing on developing cards on a more industrial scale. However, the Madelios card can be used more widely, since it is "interoperable", i.e. it can be used to pay for purchases from most other retailers offering a card managed by Finaref (Fnac, Printemps, Surcouf, La Redoute etc.).
According to Nicolas Denis, Finaref’s retailer sales manager, "the Madelios card forms part of Finaref’s strategy to achieve greater segmentation in our card range. By providing Madelios with this card, we want to show our ability to tailor private-label card services to the very specific requirements of certain growth markets, and Madelios is a unique store concept." Launch marketing
A marketing campaign has been devised for the launch of this card. The campaign includes posters in the Paris metro, stretch Hummers bearing the card’s logo driving around Paris, radio ads and point-of-sale advertising in store windows. Madelios, a unique style
The Madelios store is located at 23 boulevard de la Madeleine in Paris, and is dedicated to men’s fashion. It sells around 100 brands, and has floorspace of 4,000 m² across two floors. The store is open from 10am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday, and offers a unique, refined and comfortable environment for its customers, 80 per cent of whom are men.
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