Macpherson to enter US market

Elle Macpherson's lingerie brand is poised to enter the US market. The brand's owner, Bendon, the lingerie division of Pacific Retail Group's, wants to launch Elle Machpherson Intimates in 30 North American department stores in February 2005.

Elle Macpherson Intimates have been selling successfully in the UK for the past three years, with an annual growth of 40 and 50%. Bendon chief executive Stefan Preston told reporters that the brand already had an international presence, with weekly requests from department stores across the world to stock it. The celebrity status of Elle Macpherson will help to sell the brand in the US, according to the new president of Bendon North America, Victoria Vandagriff.