'There's this longevity': Bugaboo's Jeanelle Teves on expanding a premium baby brand in North America

The baby product retail landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade, and Dutch design brand Bugaboo is making sure it's keeping up with the trends. Bugaboo, which first launched in 1999, is best known for its higher-end strollers, but the brand makes others products like car seats, high chairs and play yards. And while Bugaboo has been sold in the U.S. for decades, North American expansion is a major priority. Jeanelle Teves, Bugaboo's chief commercial officer, is leading this charge. And she joined this week's Modern Retail Podcast to discuss the company's history and strategy. "Bugaboo is leading in the premium category," Teves said. "[But over the years,] the parent has a lot of choice -- and so it is our role and our mission at hand is to really connect: what is the Bugaboo brand association?" One of the ways Bugaboo first rose to fame in U.S. was by going viral before online virality existed. 'Bugaboo was featured on Sex and the City.' And that was a really pivotal moment for the brand," Teves said. From there, celebrities began showing off their Bugaboo strollers and the company's placement as a premium baby player was cemented. But Bugaboo has continued to try and find new ways to generate similar types of buzz. Most recently, for example, the company partnered with the apparel brand Kith on a limited-edition line of strollers and accessories. "We continue to be really selective with the brands that we partner with," Teves said. Beyond the partnerships, Teves sees her role as a growing the word-of-mouth network that already surrounds the brand. "One of the things I'm most proud of is if I am at a dinner party in New York, and I'm speaking with a parent, where someone with a much older child identifies themselves: 'I was a bugaboo mom,'" she said. As Teves sees it, her job is focused on making that moment happen more often in North America. "There's this longevity and this high quality and superiority that lasts multiple children," she said. "Regardless of where you are in the world, that is what Bugaboo is known for."