But was it to the same extent that Bianca is talking about? From what I understand, the potential breadth of her range is enormous. (I can't remember what Sock Shop did, not making a habit of checking out women's tights too regularly ...)

And, to be fair, if something didn't work 15 years ago doesn't mean it won't work now. Sometimes so much of making a successful plan work is good timing as much as a good idea.

The big advantage of Bianca's plan is that it's not too big, and it's not to small,

If you were trying to sell to 100% of the population, you would need to advertise to 100% of the population, and get your product in every store from Lands End to John O'Groats.

As it is, what she needs to do is make her product- persuade one store in Brixton, another In Tottenham, another in Southall to stock it- and that's London sorted. Repeat for all major cities- and you probably only need to deal with 20 stores- plus make it possible to order direct on line.

A nice, easy to control business. If it's any good, she will get repeat orders (not a product you buy once, and not again for another 10 years!) so in fact, it's got a lot going for it.

You make a fair point, but in reality she's not going to grow her business fast enough one store at a time. At some point she will need to engage with at least small chains if not the big (multi-)national womenswear retailers to drive the kind of volume required to make her business profitable. Sugar won't wait forever to see a return on his £250k investment - the business has to not only turn a profit but start to deliver a return on top of that.

Also, as I've said elsewhere, one potential flaw in Bianca's plan - and it's a big one - is the complexity of her range. Different colours and sizes, potentially different weights and finishes - this is categorically NOT a one-product business, far from it. That in itself brings its own difficulties.

I don't think small retailers alone unless she manages to get 100's and they order once a week, will sustain her to the levels LS is looking for. As a single person start up yes. As is often said on Dragons Den, "it will make you a living, quite a good living" but it's not an investment.

Thats my main worry is the actual product line, I've gone on just 10 sizes 6-16 and 10 colours, thats a 100 orders per shop, but potentially the sizes can go from 4-24 etc, and the colours could run into the 20s.

Is the sock shop still in business? I know the Tie Rack went.

I think they went under and have since resurfaced as an online business. I do think this might be a good way for Bianca to start, although whether it will then deliver the returns Sugar's looking for is another question entirely!

She also only needs to advertise in a niche market.

To be fair, the fashion editor he consulted will have been on Stylist and would have involved no more than a saunter across the office, 'is there a market for skin-toned tights for black women'. 'Yes'. It wasn't Anna Wintour.

For sure, but it's a decent starting point, no?

From reading numerous other posts on this subject it appears that tights for ethnic minority females are already offered from a range of online sources.

The gap in the market is that they're not readily available in stores. Therefore that's Bianca's market and that's why it's going to be so difficult because she has to manufacture them in large quantities and varieties before any revenue comes in. With an online business it's far more scalable.

I think her business idea has potential but a much larger investment (or loan) is needed up front to get the manufacturing and supply chain underway.

Thanks - didn't know about the other online sources, but makes sense. Agree with your other comments!

^^ Yeah someone linked them yesterday. I would imagine that someone in America must be doing this, and most likely Africa.

The one linked yesterday is Nubian Skin, based in London, which was launched as an online retail site last October. Founder and owner Ade Hassan came up with the concept only a year and two months ago.

It specialises in lingerie (bras, knickers, etc. in lacy and plain styles), but does offer a limited range of hosiery. In interviews, Hassan says she's starting out small, but plans to expand over next few years.

Edited:
http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/fashi...-2014093022608

Thanks, knew I'd seen something.
But you'd think there would already be something like this in at least America, I'd be surprised if there wasn't.

Again though highlights that there maybe is a demand, but start small online, and try to buy an already existing product. We actually only really have her word, for the market out there, and if her market research was anything like Roisins, then we'll take it with a pinch of salt.

Mark's unoriginal and boring but could be a steady earner for LS. Although at this point, does he really care. He did the safe option with Ricky, for instance, maybe they're doing something different this year. Although on a personal level I think Mark's more investable than Bianca.

There's another firm called Pendeza who are marketing through a range of websites, including eBay and Amazon:

"Pendeza is a ground breaking hosiery brand launched to manufacture and produce hosiery. Before Pendeza, there was no such thing as sheer hosiery for darker skin tones.

Founded in 2011 Pendeza tights are created to match and compliment skin tone, they are produced from the finest yarns, to simply make your legs beautiful."

http://www.pendeza-pantyhose.com/shopping.html

I don't know much about tights either but my partner worked for Sock Shop for years and when she saw Bianca pitching her 'new idea' she reeled off all the different nude hues that they used to offer. Very much in the same vein as Bianca's idea, but she'd have probably been 8 at the time.

Interesting - thanks. But I wonder if they're still doing it? And if they stopped, why? (Just thinking out loud ...)

Well, Mike Soutar (I think) did some research into it, and found out that Bianca is generally right about it being difficult for non-white women to find tights that match the right skin tones. With regards to the people who have worked in the industry and say differently, maybe there are some small companies that do it, but they aren't very mainstream, and Bianca wants to be the market leader?

It needn't matter too much if Bianca isn't first to her business, any more than it matters that there are other search engine optimisers.

I agree that there is room in hosiery for Bianca's idea. Roisin was let down by her financial plans - too grand, suggesting that LS would end up as a co-investor after a few months.

Indeed its difficult to argue it can't be done, and and that others are doing it .

The question is how big is the market , and if there's room for someone else. Bianca started with two products in her proposal, so there's posibly room there to get more customers too. .

If he excludes every idea that someone else, anywhere, is offering- as well as everything too large or small scale, or with high risk , or returns that are too smallscale, he's not going to accept any proposal at all. He's had nothing unique on offer since Katie offered him the only healthy food restaurant in Sunderland.

As a woman with other women friends of various skin colour, I have to report no issue raised over the range of colours available currently in tights.

Debenhams:
http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/...81010525873_-1

One reviewer recommends the coffee colour for African skin tone and bronze for mixed race.

Every shop you go to that stocks ladies undies stocks some type of body shaping products which currently appear in black or nude skintone, then they don't show under clothes.

Expect LSA will go for the SEO option - building a one stop shop for recritment, seo, who knows what else?

I really can't see Sir Alan investing in ladies hosiery - I think Mark will win.