Want three words that best sum up the mannequin business these days? How about “proceed with caution”? Also, “return on investment.” As visual budgets take a hit, retailers say they are left with half the money they had last year for props, fixtures, mannequins and other enhancements. So they’re treading carefully, purchasing with more caution and flexing their creative chops with items they already own.

“Every company expense or investment – from mannequins to light bulbs – is being thoroughly scrutinized,” says Victor Johnson, the director of store environment for women’s specialty apparel retailer White House | Black Market (Fort Myers, Fla.). “If we’re going to spend money, the return on investment needs to be significant and immediate.”

ROI has always been difficult to measure in this industry. The “I” is high. Mannequins tend to be one of the pricier items on a retailers’ visual budget. Maintenance, employee time and refurbishing can also be expensive. And there’s no solid science to measure a mannequin’s “R.”

But for Johnson, who insists mannequin presentations influence traffic and sales in quick, positive ways, the silent sellers are a justifiable expense when carefully planned. So he intends to test a handful of newly purchased mannequins, mixed with existing forms, focusing the investment on key vignettes in high-profile store locations such as Las Vegas or Chicago.

Stephanie Picone, director of marketing and visual at IZOD Retail, a branch of Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. (New York), agrees that mannequins must remain a key component of her business – but that the business is changing. “Retailers aren’t using mannequins any less,” she says. “But in the last year, we’ve started looking for mannequins that are cost-effective and have more longevity or durability.”

Longevity is a relative term, of course. With proper care, a traditional fiberglass mannequin can maintain its luster for as long as 20 years. In fact, luxury retailer Barneys New York has preserved some of its in-house mannequin designs for more than two decades, according to Matt Reed, the company’s vp of display. But longevity also depends on maintenance.

“Retailers need to make an accurate and honest assessment of who’s going to be handling mannequins,” says Ignaz Gorischek, vp of store development and visual planning at Neiman Marcus (Dallas). “Fiberglass is clearly more fragile than some of the other materials out there so, unless they’re being handled by professional stylists, finishes and materials become very important when selecting a mannequin.”

And that’s another element of the problem. Retailers have been downsizing or eliminating their in-store visual staffs for years – and, in this economy, it will only get worse. But for those retailers that lack the in-house resources or know-how to treat fiberglass mannequins with kid gloves, alternative materials that have made leaps and bounds in recent years may afford greater durability.

Mannequin manufacturers are experimenting with these alternative materials. For example, Los Angeles-based Greneker has incorporated a soy-based line; Bernstein Display (Brooklyn, N.Y.) features mannequins in its break-resistant B-lastic material; and Fusion Specialties (Broomfield, Colo.) uses its durable, color-infused E-Flex material, which it says reduces breakage and paint chipping.

Italian manufacturer Almax creates its mannequins from a long-lasting, recyclable polystyrene material, some of which are featured in Hugo Boss stores. “Our mannequins are super heavy, but they don’t ever break,” says Lisa Chamberlin, Hugo Boss’ director of visual merchandising. “It’s not something we ever have to worry about. They’re sturdy and durable.”

How do these durable styles stack up when it comes to costs? “At many of the mannequin houses, the more-durable fabrication is also one-third of the price of a fiberglass mannequin,” says IZOD’s Picone. That price tag varies, of course, depending on the type of material used, the quantity ordered, where it’s produced (domestic- or European-made versus China) or even how it’s produced and sold. For example, Mondo Mannequins (Hicksville, N.Y.) says it makes a more cost-effective fiberglass mannequin at its China facility by increasing production speed and selling direct to its retail clients instead of through commissioned reps.

For some retailers, a mannequin produced from an unbreakable material at a fraction of the cost of classic fiberglass seems a no-brainer. But there are still plenty of advantages to using fiberglass. “The finish that can be achieved on fiberglass mannequins is typically nicer than other materials,” says Neiman Marcus’ Gorischek. “For example a foundry finish, which is sanded raw fiberglass straight from the mold, cannot be achieved any other way. And it also takes special finishes like gloss lacquer or metal paint better.”

Lower prices may be tempting, especially these days, but Gorischek cautions against cutting too many corners when it comes to mannequins. “We’ve found that if you try to value engineer too far, it haunts you,” he says. “The old adage is true: ‘You get what you pay for.’ ”

VMSD’s MANNEQUIN RESOURCE DIRECTORY

Adco
www.adcogroupworld.com
5400 Armand Frappier
St. Hubert, QC J3Z 1G5
800-361-9030
tomsmith@adco.ca

Adel Rootstein
www.rootstein.com
205 W. 19th St.
New York, NY 10011
212-645-2020
doug@rootstein.com

Almax
www.almax-italy.com
44 Via Boaresco
Mariano Comense, Italy 22066
+39-031-749852
almax@bellnet.ca

Alternatives Plus Manufacturing
372 Vermont Route 67
Shaftsbury, VT 05262
802-442-8420
sales@altplusmfg.com

ArthemaGroup
www.arthemagroup.com
Via Cascina Restelli, 5
Aicurzio, Milan, Italy 20040
+39-039-6093099
arthemagroup@arthemagroup.it

Bernstein Display
www.bernsteindisplay.com
325 Gold St., 5th Flr.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-237-2215
solutions@bernsteindisplay.com

CNL
www.cnlmanufacturing.com
6600 Artesia Blvd.
Buena Park, CA 90620
562-802-9997
sales@cnlmanufacturing.com

DK Display
www.dkdisplaycorp.com
147 W. 25th St.
New York, NY 10001
212-807-0499
info@dkdisplaycorp.com

Frank Glover Productions
www.frankglover
productions.com
138 W. 25th St., 4th Flr.
New York, NY 10001
212-242-8344
info@frankgloverproductions.com

Fusion Specialties
www.fusionspecialties.com
2400 Industrial Ln.
Broomfield, CO 80020
303-460-7700
design@fusionspecialties.com

Goldsmith
www.goldsmith-inc.com
601 W. 26th St., Studio 350
New York, NY 10001
212-366-9040
info@goldsmith-inc.com

Greneker
www.greneker.com
3110 E. 12th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90023
323-263-9000
info@greneker.com

Hans Boodt Mannequins
www.hansboodt.nl
Merwedeweg 6
3336 LG Zwijndrecht
The Netherlands
+31-78-6231100
cor@hansboodt.nl

Hipex Mannequins Co.
www.hipex-mannequins.com
Tian Ma OSC Ind. Zone, Gang Tou, Hou Xi
Xiamen, China 361022
+86-592-581-9571
info@hipex-mannequins.com

King Manichini
www.kingmannequins.com
47/49 Via Cattani
Carpi, Modena, Italy 41012
+39-059-694800
info@kingmannequins.com

La Rosa
www.larosaitaly.com
Via Coti Zelati 90
Palazzolo Milanese, Milan, Italy 20030
+39-02-99044222
info@larosaitaly.com

Lideimmagine
www.lideimmagine.com
Via S. Zeno 2/C
Arzignano, Italy 36071
+39-444-451044
info@lideimmagine.com

Lifestyle Forms & Displays
www.lifestylevisuals.com
151 W. 25th St., 3rd Fl.
New York, NY 10001
212-627-2809
slenzo@lifestyleforms.com

Manex/France Display
www.manex-usa.com
126 W. 25th St.
New York, NY 10001
212-366-0571
sales@manex-usa.com

Maniquies Sempere
www.sempere.com
Pol Industrial 11
Calle Cocentaina 1
P.O. Box 10 Castalla
Alicante, Spain 03420
+96-556-01-14
info@sempere.com

Mannequins Bonami
www.bonami.be
Jh.P. Coppietersdreef 31B
Brugge, Belgium 8200
+32-9-3250513
info@bonami.be

Mondo Mannequins
www.mondomannequins.com
300 Karin Ln.
Hicksville, NY 11801
866-645-7032
sales@mondomannequins.com

MVM, Meric Display Mannequins
www.mvmmannequins.com
Irmak Cad. No:10 Beyoglu
Istanbul, Turkey
+90-212-3610614
info@mericmanken.com

New John Nissen
www.new-john-nissen.com
Hoogstraat 202
Zaventem, Belgium B-1930
+32-2-7207203
info@new-john-nissen.com

Patina-V
www.patinav.com
15650 Salt Lake Ave.
City of Industry, CA 91745
626-961-2471
info@patinav.com

Proportion London
www.proportionlondon.com
9 Dallington St.
London, UK EC1V 0LN
+44-020-7251-6943
sales@proportionlondon.com

Ralph Pucci
www.ralphpucci.net
44 W. 18th St., 12th Flr.
New York, NY 10011
212-633-0452
stephen@ralphpucci.net

RHO
www.rho.ca
10205 Parkway Blvd.
Montreal, QC H1J 1P7
514-351-9001
display@rho.ca

Seven Continents
www.sevencontinents.com
945 Wilson Ave., Ste. 1
Toronto, ON M3K 1E8
800-388-4826
info@sevencontinents.com

Siegel & Stockman
www.siegel-stockman.com
126 W. 25th St., Ground Floor
New York, NY 10001
888-515-8949
sales@siegel-stockman.com

Silvestri
www.silvestricalifornia.com
8125 Beach St.
Los Angeles, CA 90001
800-647-8874
info@silvestricalifornia.com

Universal Display and Design
www.universaldisplayusa.com
138 W. 25th St.
New York, NY 10001
212-242-0374
rrollison@universaldisplayusa.com