Rodd & Gunn lays down retail roots in Ireland with concession in Arnotts
New Zealand lifestyle brand Rodd & Gunn is opening a 323 sq ft concession partnership space in Arnotts department store at 12 Henry Street in Dublin on 31 July 2023, its first step into the Irish retail market.
Developing department store relationships in new markets is at the core of Rodd & Gunn’s retail strategy, and the new space in Arnotts adds to concession spaces in John Lewis, Galleries Lafayette, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and Hudson’s Bay.
Rodd & Gunn General Manager of International Development and Wholesale Distribution for the UK, EU, ME, Africa and Asia, said: “We want to build on our partnership with Arnotts in Ireland, as there is also a willingness to develop with Brown Thomas across different regions in Ireland.
“Our strategy for department stores in the UK is to develop a long-term partnership with John Lewis, with both concessions and e-commerce. We started with seven John Lewis concessions, and we’re expanding to 15 concessions in August 2023, including the Oxford Street store in London and the Bristol and Newcastle stores.
“We also want to develop partnerships with regional department stores, and we’re already beginning with Jarrolds in Norwich.
“Additionally, our experiential retail concept, The Lodge Bar & Dining (which the company has in New Zealand and Australia) is on the horizon for London with the full Rodd & Gunn experience – dining, wine, bar and lifestyle.”
Launching in Arnotts will be a range of Rodd & Gunn’s core menswear and leather accessories, as well as pieces from the SS23 collection including long and short-sleeved fitted Italian linen shirts and shorts, polos, chinos, lightweight jackets and a Supima cotton range.
The concession will also feature Rodd & Gunn’s collaboration with rugby brand Gilbert, with a range consisting of printed sweatshirts, hoodies, polo shirts, trousers and jackets.
Rodd & Gunn opened a 1,458 sq ft store at 3 Conduit Street in London’s Mayfair in 2019 and has cemented 40 accounts in the UK over the past three seasons.
Founded in New Zealand in 1946 by Jim Jarvis as an outdoor hunting and shooting type business, in its current lifestyle form the brand was established in 1987 when the first Rodd & Gunn standalone store opened on Queen Street, Auckland, New Zealand.
The business was acquired by Australian company Action Downunder in 1995, and today is owned by Mike Beagley, also Rodd & Gunn’s CEO, who has been the driving force behind its growth since 2000. Launching in the US in 2016 was a pivotal moment of Rodd & Gunn’s international expansion, which gave the brand the confidence to open the London store in 2019.
