Rains more than doubles retail presence at Coal Drops Yard

Danish outerwear brand Rains has upsized from its previous 366 sq ft store at Coal Drops Yard in London’s Kings Cross, which it opened when the retail scheme launched in October 2018, to a new 850 sq ft space a few doors down.

Danish artist Jacob Egeberg has provided sculptures for the new store, which has an industrial backdrop of brick, rustic wall finishes and stainless steel.

The store is now open and welcomes visitors to explore the AW22 collection of waterproof outerwear, bags, and accessories.

Country Manager of Rains for the UK and Ireland, Tom Bettinson, said: “This larger format store gives us an opportunity to present a new customer journey into the Rains universe. We have small accessories, bags, rainwear, fleece, mid layers and puffer jackets, as well as special projects such as sunglasses.

“There’s a strong community at Coal Drops Yard and we are able to drive our own footfall in this location. There is a great mix of locals, tourists and students visiting  the area, and I think the brand mix is complimentary.”

Bettinson says that Rains has seen a huge increase in sales of its bags this year, in particular backpacks and travel bags, which he puts down to “people getting out and about again” following the Covid pandemic.

As well as growing Rains’ wholesale presence in the UK, there are also plans for more retail stores in London, adding to the Coal Drops Yard store and the shop at 20 Earlham Street in Seven Dials, though further details have not as yet been revealed.

Bettinson added: “As a brand, we are continuing to develop our product offering significantly over the next two years. This means further growth in our wholesale presence with selected partners, especially department stores and key independents. We are also looking to open more retail stores in London.

“The UK and Ireland has been Rains largest market from a wholesale perspective for the past three years. We have a balanced split between men’s/women’s and apparel/accessories in terms of sales, so our growth hasn’t just been in one segment or category.

“Our partnerships with key department stores has been a huge factor in our success in recent years. We are represented across men’s, women’s and accessories in Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Liberty and have just started working with Harrods in its men’s outdoor and sports department. Rains has an accessible concept in terms of product and price, so we can cater to a large variety of customers.”