Novus was founded in 1973 by the current president, Carlos Caspellon. He chose the name ‘Novus’—Latin for ‘new’—because it reflects the company’s aim to offer the most recent, cutting-edge trends.
Prior to the foundation of the company, Caspellon had an interest in men’s fashion; although he was an accountant, he often worked with shoe tailors in Puerto Rico. He eventually decided to create his own fashion retail business in Puerto Rico, Perez-Labiosa said. He opened the first store at the Santa Maria Shopping Center in the city of Ponce, and imported shoes from countries such as Spain and Italy. He also purchased La Favorita, an old chain store still popular in Puerto Rico. Since then, the company has acquired other stores including Bakers, and Naturalizer.
Ownership remains with Caspellon and his kin. “It’s a family concept store,” Perez-Labiosa said. His son and daughter have taken interest in the business; it seems they’ve inherited Caspellon’s passion for selling fashion goods.
Selling fashion accessories for both men and women, Novus offers a wide variety of shoes and handbags. The company’s primary customers are in Puerto Rico, where 68 of its stores are located, explained Perez-Labiosa. But with the recent launch of its online store, the company was able to extend its customer base to US cities with large Latin-American populations. “We have a lot of people that are communicating with us, mostly our Latin customers in the cities like Miami, Orlando, and Houston,” Perez-Labiosa said.
Using surveys at their online store, the company collects basic statistics about their customer base. With this information, the company locates areas containing significant numbers of customers who purchase their products through the Internet.
So far, one of the things they’ve learned us that Novus’s sales are significantly affected by cultural differences between Puerto Rico and the US. Non-Hispanic customers do place orders from the company, but these sales are limited. Differing concepts of fashion sometimes prevent the company from establishing a wider and more diverse network of customers, explains Perez-Labiosa.
“American people like our shoes, but [our concept] of fashion is not accepted by everyone,” she says. “When we dress for work, for example, we [incorporate] more fashion into our look than American people do.”
The online website may widen Novus’s existing customer base, and that would be a welcome change, Perez-Labiosa said. In the meantime, business remains steady, and Novus can focus on marketing its products to a consumer base that is already familiar to them.
As Novus has grown, it has certainly seen some ups and downs. Recently, external factors have forced Novus to make various adjustments, Perez-Labiosa said. The Puerto Rican economy experienced a downturn, and that affected the company. But flexibility was the company’s key to survival.
“2006 was our worst year,” remembers Perez-Labiosa. “We [had to make] a lot of adjustments.” Novus Inc. was forced to shut down stores that did not generate enough revenue and cut down employment. The company also implemented a new purchasing system and regulated their expenses and inventory.
But now the worst is over, and with the establishment of an online store, Novus is using technology to expand their customer base. The company is growing while staying true to its commitment to new fashions, and Perez-Labiosa is optimistic about the future.
“We work hard,” she notes proudly. “We have enthusiasm.”
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