Belk Rebrands with Future in Mind

Belk may not ring a bell with consumers outside the Southern part of the United States, but the company is the country's largest privately owned mainline department store chain, operated by the Belk family since 1888. Belk has 305 stores in 16 Southern states that compete with other regional retailers and, of course, with such powerhouses as Kohl's, Target, and Walmart.

Now Belk is refurbishing its 43-year old brand identity with a streamlined graphic image that will be introduced this month and rolled out over the next year.

The new image campaign, the company says, will demonstrate its "increased focus on meeting the fashion needs of our modern customers," according to Tim Belk, chairman and CEO.

"While we will continue to meet the needs of our traditional and classic customers, we are changing our brand and expanding our assortments to attract new customers who are looking for modern, updated brands and styles."

In short, Belk would like to attract a younger, contemporary crowd. It's a move that's long overdue.

The company's current corporate logo and identity, adopted in 1967, looks staid and, well, dated by today's standards. While Belk has done well financially and continued to expand, the times they are a changin', as the song goes.

"We felt the time was right to expand our profile and realign our corporate image to better reflect the kind of stores we operate today," says Johnny Belk, president and chief operating officer. "Re-branding happens only once in a generation."

The new Belk logo is the polar opposite of the current logo. It is executed in an all lower-case, rounded typeface with a graphic that looks vaguely like leaves. Even the corporate color is being changed from teal to bright blue.

Accompanying the logo is a new tag line, "Modern. Southern. Style." So what's up with the three words with periods after each? This seems to be a trendy thing among fashion-conscious retailers. Witness the Brett Favre TV commercial for Wrangler and you'll see the same technique used at the end: "Real. Comfortable. Jeans." Who knows, maybe this is what texting has done to the English language.

Belk will spend about $70 million over the next 12 to 18 months for corporate branding and marketing, including $25 million to install new signage at all of its stores by the end of 2011. Customers will also see the new logo and identity elements in store displays and signage.

This month, the company will launch an extensive branding and advertising campaign including market-wide television and print advertising, circulars, direct mail and social media incorporating the new identity.