New Lingerie Chain set to Challenge Victoria's Secret?

Susan Nethero is the founder of the Intimacy lingerie chain which specializes in getting customers the right fit. Known as the "Bra Whisperer," she's become something of a fixture on programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and What Not To Wear.

Nethero has also started to expand her small company, where sales clerks provide each customer with expert fittings and alterations are free. She opened her first Intimacy store in 1992 and quickly established a loyal local following. It wasn’t until 2004 that she opened a second store, this one in New York’s Upper East Side neighborhood. In the next six years, Intimacy expanded to nine more stores, two in California.


From Minyanville.com...

The Atlanta-based retailer opened her first Intimacy store in 1992 and quickly established a loyal local following. It wasn’t until 2004 that she opened a second store, this one in New York’s Upper East Side neighborhood. In the next six years, Intimacy expanded to nine more stores, two in California.

Considering the near-saturation point of Victoria’s Secret stores in America, it's hard to imagine that Nethero's boutiques will ever make an impact. Part of the Columbus, Ohio-based Limited Brands (LTD), Victoria’s Secret had net sales of $5.6 billion through January 2009 and 1,043 stores. Don’t women already know how to buy bras?

Apparently not. Intimacy’s website states that 85% of American women are wearing the wrong size. And here’s where Intimacy’s specialties come into play: fit, fit, and fit. The company’s tag line is “The Bra Fit Specialist." Nethero herself has trained with the "Queen of England's Royal Bra Fitter." That would be June Kenton, the owner of Rigby & Peller, an intimates retailer in the UK which was granted a Royal Warrant in 1960.

Nethero believes that the right undergarment can do more than solve problems of fit and appearance. Her goal is even more ambitious: to help boost a woman's sense of self-esteem. "When a woman feels her best, looks her best, and moves with more confidence, an Intimacy experience becomes a true antidote to the tough times," Nethero tells Minyanville.

At the shop, sales clerks provide each customer with expert fittings based on the company's “proprietary holistic method.” (For a primer on some of Nethero's golden rules, check out the tips she gave Oprah's audience and the Top 10 bra mistakes she once listed on The Today Show.) Fittings can be booked on the store's website, and alterations are free.

The other difference between Intimacy and Victoria's Secret is the quality of the product stock. The upstart store sells luxurious European brands, such as Aubade, Simon Pérèle, and Chantelle, in a large range of sizes. "We carry close to 100 sizes of bras from an A to a K cup," Nethero tells us. "Victoria's Secret carries only from A to DD. In fact, they often send their fuller busted customers to our store."

For now, it appears that Nethero’s grand plan to lift and support America’s women is working. Nethero and her husband, David, who joined the company 10 years ago, plan to open four stores in 2010 alone. (They will be documenting the company's progress as a small business in monthly iReport videos on CNN.com.) And according to Women’s Wear Daily, the duo intend to expand to 25 stores by 2014 -- as long as sales don't sag.