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Three
Cheers for Bethel
Company
Launches Licensed Handbag Line
April 17, 2007
Bethel International has a simple philosophy when it comes to designing handbags: Make them fashionable, make them practical, and make them well. Its new line of licensed Megaphone handbags fits this profile and adds another important element. Fun.
Bethel will be showing its new bag line this summer, and product will be in stores in time for football season. The bags feature the colors and logos of 50-plus colleges (including all the ACC and SEC schools), along with school cheers, such as “Hook ’em Horns.” The bags come in two sizes, 7 inches for kids and 11 inches for adults.
“We are the only company in the United States that can produce this shape,” says Marketing Director J. Kim. Kim anticipates interest from a wide range of retailers, adding that “this is also a great item for stores that sell cheerleading equipment.”
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Bethel is best known for its bread-and-butter Sandol bag line, which has been a hot seller for four years. It is geared toward sports-conscious consumers and features high-quality materials and embroidery. It is currently available in about 20 styles.
The company also scored with the recent release of its Yima line. Launched last October, it features high-end pvc material with a metal insert, and is geared toward a younger, more fashion-conscious consumer. The look is expensive but the cost to retailers is surprisingly reasonable.
“The retailer response to Yima has been fantastic,” says Kim. “It was an instant success. We sold out of the first run instantly. The second run is coming in now, but it is already sold out, too.”
Kim says the company will continue to build on the momentum it has created, and look for new ways to bring its quality workmanship and design flair to new lines. Bethel also plans to add more schools to its Megaphone product.
“If a company doesn’t evolve,” says Kim, “it won’t grow. We’re always looking beyond the horizon.”
