Matalan broadens third-party brands offering and extends sizing range

Matalan took note of NEXT and M&S' third-party strategies, today launching 17 new third-party brands online and extending the range of sizes available across hundreds of its lines.

Customers are increasingly veering towards retailers that offer more of a 'department store' experience with an extensive third-party offering, making shopping more seamless and hassle-free. To cater for this demand, Matalan has launched 17 new third-party brands exclusively online—these span across core categories including womenswear, menswear, kidswear, homeware and gifting.

This includes brands such as Mountain Warehouse, Regatta, Threadbare, Brave Soul and ToeZone. What's more, it has launched beauty brands - including St Moritz, Brushworks and Bomb Cosmetics to name a few - on its website for the first time.

After listening to customer feedback, Matalan has also extended the range of sizes available across hundreds of ranges in-store and online.

Matalan now offers over 800 womenswear options up to a size 22 across all categories including dresses, trousers and jumpers. In addition, customers can now shop 150 options up to a size 28 online. The men’s range hasn't been forgotten - the new third-party brand Duke Clothing offers men's lines up to an 8XL.

Ali Jones, Chief Customer & Omnichannel Officer at Matalan, said: "It has been a busy start to the year at Matalan – we’ve invested £35 million to reduce prices, launched a GenAI tool in the UK as a ‘retail first’, unveiled a new brand platform, and today announced the addition of 17 new brands to our roster as well as a significant extension to our range of sizes. And this is just the start.

"Customers are at the heart of every decision we make at Matalan and we are always listening and always evolving. So moments like these make us proud to remove barriers, expand our offering and demonstrate greater inclusivity, which only strengthens our commitment to bring customers better choice, style, and value."

Similarly, M&S is continually expanding its third-party offering. Last month M&S tapped LK Bennett as a new third-party brand. Prior to this, the retailer announced it was expanding Nobody's Child to an additional 48 stores across the UK. The 'Brands at M&S platform' continues to grow in terms of both offerings and sales. It now includes over 90 third-party brands.

The new strategy comes amid the Matalan's turnaround efforts. Last month, Matalan announced the appointment of five new leaders, spanning its marketing, e-commerce, design, buying and strategy teams, as it continues transforming the business.