Kent & Lime closes after four years
Online menswear store Kent & Lime has shut its doors four years after launching in Australia.
Publishing a personal note on the company’s Facebook page and his own LinkedIn profile, co-founder Will Rogers said the company closed because “time and money” were against it.
Kent & Lime modeled itself on US-based Trunk Club, by sending customers a curated selection of clothes and accessories based on their preferences.
The model has been held up as an example of personalised retail done right, but Kent & Lime’s demise isn’t the only indicator that the model may have some serious flaws.
A key challenge lies in incentivising customers to keep as many of the items in the box as possible.
Trunk Club, whose value was cut in half by parent company Nordstrom earlier this year, recently started charging customers a styling fee of US$25 for each shipment. It credits the amount back to customers when they make a purchase.
However, Kent & Lime has always charged a fee for shipping and returns, so it’s unclear at this time whether returns played a role in its demise.
Below is the full message Kent & Lime posted on Facebook:
Dear Customers
Over 4 years ago Kent & Lime started because we wanted to make shopping easy for men. Our vision was to make style simple by creating a different, exciting and fun way to get clothes.
Building a service for you that was new, respected and challenged the status quo was amazing you were involved in a ground breaking Australian business that really made a difference.
We developed everything from scratch, just hard work and lots of listening. Through your purchases & feedback you essentially created the framework for us to build on. You helped build something wonderful.
You saw there was a better way and supported us with your ideas, comments and patience whilst we engineered the service and platform. There were some good and bad times but you hung in there. I’m proud to say that many of our very first customers stayed until the very end.
Everyone who worked for Kent & Lime was passionate, focused and dedicated to making this a success I will never forget that. Our engineering, styling and operations team in particular worked tirelessly to make improvements daily so we could get better at delivering a great service.
A special shout out to all the brands, advisors and suppliers that supported us right to the end. You believed in this business and it would’t have happened without your involvement. I thank you.
We are closing because time and money was against us. We explored every avenue, every possible scenario but the emotional and realistic decision to end Kent & Lime was the right thing to do.
Customer & supplier hotline (including Club):
Any customers or Club customers that require assistance please contact Kurt Hopcroft at HLB Mann Judd 02 9020 4236 khopcroft@hlbnsw.com.au who will assist with your enquiry
On behalf of the team here I would like to thank you our customers from the bottom of my heart for coming on this journey and making it an experience everyone will remember.
Will & Kent & Lime Team
(I thank the following amazing people that made this business happen. Our brand partners, Nick, Jai, Paul, Mikhail, Maria, Pranav, Mimi, Holly, Jackie, Tamara, Denice, Dessi, Meg, Emily, Vito, Ebony, Resha, Tony, Nicola, Charlotte, Kathy, Bea, James, Julia, Larissa, Stephane, Rake, Jon, Nick, Ian, John, & Tim)
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Dee Stuart
They’re back! https://internetretailing.com.au/kent-lime-relaunches-new-owner/