9:00am Friday 6th February 2009
By Wes Wright
BRIDES-to-be with a fuller figure are heading to a Bolton bridal shop which has established a reputation for stocking larger size wedding dresses.
Catering for women up to size 34 is helping the Bolton branch of Pronuptia to compete during the economic downturn.
Franchise owner Craig Ingram said: “Unlike many other shops, which say they have dresses up to size 34 but maybe only have one in the shop to try on, we stock up to eight samples of larger sizes and styles, and can get more quickly if needed.
The Bolton shop is Mr Ingram’s second Pronuptia franchise. It opened three years ago, adding to his first outlet in Manchester.
He said: “I chose Bolton because it is a good catchment area and it offered us good space for the showroom and large changing rooms with room for expansion.
“The Pronuptia brand celebrates its 50th year this year. It’s been a flexible franchise, allowing us to benefit from the excellent, trusted brand name and national marketing — which is a big plus for us.
“But it also allows us to develop the business in our own way.
“For ladies with a larger figure, we can offer a wide range of dresses to try on in our exclusive Pronuptia collection as well as designer gowns from the Alfred Angelo and Sincerity ranges.”
One customer is Emma Shaw, aged 27, who lives in Adlington. She said she loves her size 24 dress, which she will wear for her church wedding in June.
Miss Shaw, who works for a Manchester security firm, said: “The staff were fantastic — they don’t look down on you just because you’re a bigger girl. I felt really comfortable in the shop.
“I tried on about 10 different dresses in my size which you can’t do in other shops because they don’t have dresses any bigger than size 16.
“We also got all the bridesmaid dresses from Pronuptia, as they had the right sizes and a lot of choice.
“They even brought out a pretend bouquet, veils, head dresses and matching shoes for the dresses I tried on.”
While the numbers of people marrying may be declining, Mr Ingram says offering larger sizes is one way of keeping competitive. But other business options have opened up during the last few years too.
The growing market of school proms has meant many young people now visit Pronuptia to buy dresses and hire formal suits for school leaving parties.
A new regional website, www.pronuptia-northwest.co.uk, is being launched on February 17.
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