Why This Online Clothing Company Started Sharing Its Profits With Brick-and-Mortar Stores
To calm the nerves of traditional shops and department stores (and grow their customer base), Ledbury made a drastic offering.
When the online-only men’s apparel brand launched in 2009, it was like many online-only brands: It offered high-quality products at a , because it cut out the retail middleman. But then something unexpected happened. “People were walking into department stores and menswear stores asking for Ledbury shirts,” says Paul Trible, co-founder and CEO of Ledbury. And some retailers wanted to carry the brand.
