Get Them Young.

Building brand loyalty is the goal of any large consumer goods manufacturer or retailer. Many firms try to appeal to as many market niches as possible, including children. But some firms are now going farther than just offering kids lines. They've begun to offer outlets specifically aimed at children. For example the Gap has a series of Gap Kids stores, while Canadian lingerie retailer La Senza has its La Senza Girl outlets for the pre-puberty set.

Although some folks might find the idea of such stores manipulative it's not as if kids need any encouragement to buy into the consumerist bent of our culture. A store specifically aimed at young girls like La Senza Girl isn't likely to make them any more consumerist than the media and the behaviour of their parents already are. How effective they are in getting today's children consumers to remain loyal to the brand when they're ready for adult clothing is another question. The stores are a relatively new concept so chances are they're still seeing how the concept is working. The fact that there are 80 La Senza Girl stores would seem to indicate that at the very least the stores themselves are making money, whatever impact they're making on creating a future clientele for La Senza Lingerie.