BRANDING: Byford breathes new life into brand image

HONG KONG: British socks and underwear retailer Byford has revamped its decade-old corporate identity to give the brand a sharper edge.

The rebranding comes as Byford prepares to expand in Asia-Pacific through licensee deals.

Singapore-based chairman and chief executive officer, Chai Sing Hong, said: "We are a personal brand that's about everything that is next to the skin. Customers in the UK and the US tend to be executives, but we have found in Singapore and Malaysia, it is often a very young man."

Byford executive director, Peter Duncan, added: "The (previous) logo did very well in the early days, but it is clearly old, traditional and 'clubby'. We wanted to bring an edge to that and to make it sharper and fresher.

"We are a traditional British company and want to express that heritage, but equally, the new consumers demand that we be relevant for today's marketplace in terms of packaging, technical developments, colour and design.

Duncan cited Burbury as "a marvellous example of where we are moving".

The new corporate logo in blue and 'champagne silver' features a 'knotted B', which Duncan said was the registered symbol for the brand. "We couldn't introduce the knotted B into the original form because it would not have sat properly with the word 'Byford'," he said.

He added that while the new look would maintain the brand's British connection, the revamp was not a result of the brand's repositioning. "We are just building on our tradition, we are not saying we are a contemporary brand."

The new identity is expected to be in place by the end of this year.

Byford, which has outlets in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore through licensee agreements, will also introduce new product categories, including a new 'luxury' line, in the near future.

"There will be a top-end range that we expect to see around the world. There is also clearly a need in this part of the world to use particular themes or festivals. We will look into introducing new garments such as those worn by athletes, or through technical advancements such as anti-bacterial (attire). The core of the range will be called 'Essentials'. However, these will not be sub-brands and will be based on our brand values of quality, comfort and fit."

Byford products are distributed through department stores as well as independent shops.