Retail Recap: The important openings and partnerships of February 2024
As February comes to a close, the retail sector reflects on an overall positive month. Valentine's Day not only injected the high street with splashes of red and pink, but it also gave retail a much-welcomed sales boost. What's more, London Fashion Week saw the fashion masses flock to the British high street as activations for 40th-anniversary celebrations cropped up city-wide.
Throughout February, there have been positive trading updates from companies such as Schuh, Mytheresa and Secret Sales. However, there were some not-so-positive trading updates from the likes of VF Corp,
TheIndustry.fashion has curated a list of the retail stores that have opened this month as well as a number of partnerships from Harrods, Burberry, Adidas and more.
Store Openings
In Pictures: Wolf & Badger opened a new flagship in London’s Soho
Wolf & Badger opened a 1,400 sq ft store at 102 Berwick Street in Soho, a relocation from its previous London store at Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, which closed on 15 January 2024.
The multi-channel retailer, which also has stores in New York and Los Angeles, offers an "ever-evolving curation of unique items from a dynamic range of over 100 independent and sustainable brands" across womenswear, menswear, jewellery, accessories and homeware.
Moss set to open new flagship store at Edinburgh’s St James Quarter
Moss, previously known as Moss Bros. before its rebrand, is opening a new 2,372 sq ft flagship store at St James Quarter in Edinburgh on 7 March 2024, as it continues the retail roll-out that gathered pace throughout 2023.
The new Edinburgh store marks a return to Scotland’s capital city for the retailer, where it last had a Moss Bros store at 43 George Street in 2016.
Oysho to open second UK store at Westfield Stratford City
Inditex-owned women’s sportswear brand Oysho is opening its second UK store at Westfield Stratford City next month. The new 6,316 sq ft space will be located between ZARA and a new Gymshark store, which is due to open in summer 2024.
Borsalino opened debut UK store in London’s Burlington Arcade
Heritage Italian hat brand Borsalino opened a 430 sq ft boutique in Mayfair’s prestigious Burlington Arcade, marking its first-ever UK store as it embarks on a retail rollout in other European capital cities.
The new retail concept, created by architect Nicola Quadri, first debuted for the brand’s recent boutique openings in Via della Spiga, Milan and the Italian resort area of Forte dei Marmi, and blends traditional and contemporary style.
Crew Clothing opened first new store of 2024 in East Grinstead
British lifestyle brand Crew Clothing, which operates more than 100 stores across the UK, opened a new 1,600 sq ft store at 34 London Road in East Grinstead, West Sussex. It marked the brand’s first opening of 2024, swiftly following the opening of a 985 sq ft store in Eastbourne in December 2023.
Lucy & Yak continued UK expansion with a second Brighton store
Conscious clothing brand Lucy & Yak is opening its second store in Brighton on 22 March 2024, as it continues to expand its retail presence across the UK. Located within the lively neighbourhood of The Lanes, the new concept store will act as a "sustainability flagship" for the brand.
In Pictures: Zara unveiled upsized store at Atria Watford
Spanish retail giant ZARA unveiled its new upsized store at Atria Watford, spanning 43,000 sq ft and more than doubling the size of its previous 18,000 sq ft unit.
The new store, which was signed on a 15-year lease, is located in a "prime position" at the shopping centre and stocks the brand’s fashion ranges across womenswear, menswear and kidswear.
Pop-ups
Lounge Underwear opened a Valentine’s pop-up at Birmingham’s Bullring
British underwear brand Lounge unveiled a three-day Valentine’s themed pop-up on 9 February 2024 at Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre on Level 0, next to Marks & Spencer.
From Sunday 11 February, customers were able to buy a bouquet of 'roses' that were made entirely of Lounge thongs.
Verte and Round Retail opened pre-loved fashion pop-up on London’s King’s Road
Verte, the pop-up swap shop for pre-loved fashion, and charitable retail platform Round Retail joined forces on a two-week pop-up at 340 King’s Road in London, in support of local mental health charity St Mary Abbots Rehabilitation and Training (SMART).
Running until 21 February, customers could buy and swap pre-loved fashion items from "mid-luxury" brands at the new 1,178 sq ft pop-up. This included curated collections from the likes of Whistles, Acne Studios, Rixo and Toast.
Torlowei brought West African-inspired luxury fashion to Harrods
Housed in the lingerie and loungewear department of the historic landmark's first floor, the space reflects the pillars of the brand: 'Colour, Craftsmanship, Creativity, and Comfort'.
Lone Design Club and Faire launched a collaborative pop-up in Covent Garden
Lone Design Club (LDC), the platform that supports emerging designers and sustainable brands, and online wholesale marketplace Faire launched their first-ever collaborative pop-up at 4 Slingsby Place in Covent Garden.
The space, which ran until 28 February, included brands such as Arctic Fox and Co, Cara & The Sky, D-Trench, Elsie & Fred, Lucia Chain, The Knotty Ones, and Olympic gold medal diver Tom Daley’s Made With Love.
Partnerships
Burberry Blue descended on Harrods' hallowed halls this LFW
Last season, Burberry certainly turned the heads of Londoners at Bond Street’s underground station after it updated signage with confusing, yet fabulous blue facades. The British brand continued with the same momentum this fashion season, taking over another quintessential British landmark – Harrods.
Not only did this partnership mark fashion month, but it was the first lavish event of Harrods’ 175th anniversary year.
Fashion and football fused for the new Adidas x Man Utd collection
Adidas and Manchester United teamed up to create the Stone Roses collection – a fusion of "football, fashion, and music" inspired by the legendary 'Madchester' era. The range allows fans to "showcase their passion for both music and football beyond the pitch".
Deliveroo launched a partnership with Ann Summers 'in time for Valentine’s Day'
Deliveroo launched a partnership with Ann Summers, allowing consumers to have products from the lingerie and sex toy retailer delivered to their homes "within minutes". The new partnership initially offers 15 of the most popular Ann Summers products for delivery in Brighton, Manchester, Canning Town and Vauxhall in London.
In Pictures: Victoria Monét took centre stage in Good American campaign
Good American, the denim-first fashion brand renowned for its inclusive sizing, unveiled its latest campaign centred around "feminine power and strength" featuring pop star Victoria Monét. Good American, founded by Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede, seamlessly merged Monét's distinctive style with the brand's aesthetic.
George at Asda's collaborated with Mattel's Barbie to support The Prince’s Trust
George and Mattel supported the young people in designing and creating a limited edition 21-piece fashion collection, that went live on 26 February.
Pre-owned designer items are now available at Luxury Stores at Amazon via Hardly Ever Worn It
Pre-owned and, in some cases, unworn designer items are now available on 'Luxury Stores at Amazon' in Europe for the first time after the e-commerce giant partnered with the resale platform Hardly Ever Worn It.
Clarks and Asda footwear supplier paired up with HSBC for international expansion
T&A Footwear Limited specialises in designing, manufacturing and supplying footwear to major retailers like Tu at Sainsbury's, George at ASDA and Clarks.
In Pictures: Coach fronted the latest campaign with virtual human
Coach added a new ambassador to its roster, but this time they’re not human. The American brand’s latest campaign, titled "Find Your Courage", featured virtual human Imma alongside Lil Nas X, Camila Mendes, Youngji Lee, Kōki, and Wu Jinyan.
Set in a virtual universe, the campaign introduced the Coach Spring collection. The series was inspired by the way today’s younger generations are redefining what it means to be "real".
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