"Choosing a Partner for a Franchise Business is as Hard as Finding a Husband"

Aguirre sisters are Chérie´s managers, a shoe store that is trying to grow through franchising models

Classic and modern; thoughtful and spontaneous; quiet and lively.

The merging of opposites works perfectly in Chérie, a shoe store located in Benito Blanco and Gabriel Pereira, Pocitos. The combination of differences which provides the store with a special touch corresponds to the different characteristics of the owners´ personalities, Cecilia (33) and Inés Aguirre (29).

The business started three years ago in Cecilia´s apartment with the idea of offering girly, classy, glamorous, high quality and exclusive shoes.

It was a mixture which could not be found in Uruguay.

The concept got consolidated in the market and today the store has a wide variety of loyal clients, from teenagers to grown up ladies.

Aguirre´s sisters are thinking of opening a new store in Montevideo as soon as they find the proper spot and they have just finished their franchising model with the idea of opening stores inland and abroad.

The Start

Cecilia Aguirre studied International Business, while her sister studied to become a Teacher, but she quitted to start studying to become a professional make-up artist. While Cecilia was finishing her studies, Inés insisted on the idea of doing something together. She was not sure about the project, but she knew they should do something together.

As she became a make-up artist she became familiar with the fashion world, and the comment among the girls was that there were no nice shoes in the market, shoes were boring. In order to get good shoes you had to travel to Buenos Aires or other cities. It was then when Inés realized there was a gap to be filled.

Inés insisted and talked Cecilia into doing it. The first step consisted on getting the name. Their grandmother suggested Chérie, which means "dear" in French. They loved it and thought it fit perfectly well with the brand.

After that, they travelled abroad looking for suppliers. Everybody asked in which mall they were going to establish the brand and how many thousand pairs they were going to get. But Chérie had no store yet and they wanted to purchase a small amount of shoes, just to be sure the business was going to work. Finally, they got in touch with a vendor who accepted selling them 200 pairs of shoes.

Cecilia though the shoes were not going to be sold, and Inés thought they might run out of stock. According to Cecilia, that same thing still happens today: "Some times she was right, and some other times I was right. But thanks God, she was right most of the times. She is more daring than me".

Sold Out

They started selling shoes in Cecilia´s apartment in March 2011. It was a complete success, since all the "sellable" shoes were sold out in just ten days. But, as it usually happens in first times, they made many mistakes. They did not respect the ABC of the size rule, and they kept small and large sizes. For instance, they bought boots size 40 with high heels. After this experience, they realized women who are that size are usually tall, and they don´t wear high heels.

But luckily, that did not matter, since the demand was high, the shoes were sold out and they were able to reinvest the money to purchase more shoes.

The first clients were family and friends, but the word spread immediately and new people started visiting them. Facebook was also a useful tool. In fact, the social network had to block Chérie´s account and they could not accept friends for more than 10 days. The reason was the 5,000 friends they made in one day, which help up the account.

Aguirre´s sisters were completely surprised when the renowned personality and business woman Laetitia d´Arenberg knocked on their doors looking for shoes and bought six pairs. She continues buying shoes at Chérie three or four times a year.

In March 2012, the sisters rented a 16-square meter store in Pocitos. In June, the shoes arrived and the store opened its doors. After ten days, they ran out of shoes. "Women came to the store and bought three pairs each. People were annoyed because we ran out of stock. It was a real shame. We even thought of closing the doors for a week" said Inés.

Classic But Glamorous

Chérie is a classic shoe store, but with a glamorous touch. Shoes are colorful and made with original leather. Shoes cost around $ 2,000 and boots $ 3,000.

Since it is a boutique, it has just a few pairs per style. The idea of the brand is to keep it exclusive. The girls managed to establish a close bond with the clients. They even know which size they are and the models they would probably love.

In the short and medium term these sisters are planning to keep on growing, since they notice there is a huge potential. "It is a profitable business. We are convinced that if shoes were sold out in ten days in our first store, the same thing will happen in the different franchises to be opened," said Cecilia.

Lea la versión en español aquí.

"Choosing a Partner for a Franchise Business is as Hard as Finding a Husband"

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