Premium fashion etailer Coggles moves back into bricks and mortar

Premium fashion etailer Coggles has made a return to bricks and mortar with the opening of a new store in Alderley Edge.

The etailer, which is part of The Hut Group, opened the 4,000 sq ft store in a former Nat West bank building in the affluent Cheshire area. It will sell premium men's and womenswear and homewares from brands such as Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang, Aesop and Tom Dixon.

Many of the bank's original features have been retained in the store, including an original parquet flooring and two restored vaults are being used as a sneaker vault and shoe vault.

Marisa Shutt general manager of the store told alderleyedge.com: "We chose this location in Alderley Edge for our flagship store due to its unique premises, which offer the perfect platform in which to showcase our global luxury brands and also because it's one of the most prestigious destinations in the North West.

"The store is absolutely an extension of our online site, Coggles.com; and people can now come in and experience our brand across all touchpoints from our carefully selected fashion brands, both established and emerging, to homeware and beauty, all under one roof," Shutt added.

Coggles, originally known as Sarah Coggles, began life as an independent retailer in York in 1974 having been founded by Victoria Bage. It was later run by her son Mark Bage. The business won multiple awards and was one of the first independents to branch into etail. However the business fell into administration in 2013 and was acquired by The Hut Group, which relaunched it as an online only business.

Real estate advisers Colliers International recently released a report to highlight the phenomenon of online retailers moving into bricks and mortar in a trend it calls "showrooming".