Sainsbury’s to create third party fashion brand ‘destination hubs’ in 50 stores

Sainsbury’s is creating branded fashion destination hubs in at least 50 stores to sit alongside its Tu clothing own brand, kicking off with seven third party brand partners being introduced across nine stores this September.

They will offer a curated edit of women’s fashion from established brands such as Sosandar and Simply Be, as well as collections from Finery, Little Mistress by Vogue Williams, Thought, Burgs and Brakeburn.

Customers will also be able to shop the full range of over 30 brand partners on the Tu website, where they can benefit from quick and convenient delivery and the opportunity to collect and spend Nectar points.

The initial nine “high footfall” stores included in the roll out of the fashion destination hubs launch are:

• Stanway – Colchester
• Crayford – Dartford
• Bybrook – Ashford
• Longwater – Norwich
• Calcot – Reading
• Osmaston Park – Derby
• Selly Oak – Birmingham
• Sydenham – London
• London Colney – St Albans

The move will see the retailer grow its branded proposition at pace over the next five years, as it “remains focused on meeting its customers evolving needs”.

Christine Kasoulis, Sainsbury’s Clothing Director, who was previously with John Lewis, said: “We’ve been harnessing the strength of our much-loved own brand range, Tu clothing, to successfully introduce fashion brands online over the last year. Building on the success we’ve seen at tu.co.uk, we’re delighted to launch our new fashion destination hubs to offer customers a curation of exciting brands when they shop with us in store.

“We’re proud to be collaborating with so many brilliant partners that align to our values and who we hope will introduce new customers to our stylish Tu clothing range while giving our existing customers even more variety, whenever and however they choose to shop with us.”

Simply Be

Sarah Welsh, CEO of Retail at N Brown (owners of Simply Be), commented: “Serving a broad customer group in synergy with our brands' own target demographic, the partnership aligns with N Brown's core ethos of championing inclusivity and serving the underserved.

“We know from our own website how passionate our Simply Be customers are about fashion which truly fits. This new relationship will enable us to demonstrate the power of fashion and meet the needs of a wider audience - as a company which prioritises accessibility, this is extremely important. We're excited to begin working together and realise the positive outcomes of the partnership.”

Touker Suleyman, owner of Finery, said: “We’re excited to launch Finery into Sainsbury’s stores, it’s a great first venture to enter the brand into retail space and give customers the opportunity to see and shop the product ranges.”

Ali Hall, Co-CEO of Sosandar, added: “Sosandar is one of the fastest growing women’s fashion brands in the UK and this partnership will expand our reach even further.

“As one of the anchor brands chosen for this rollout, we are delighted to see the strength of our brand being recognised by a household name such as Sainsbury’s and believe our product will be the perfect fit for its customers.”

By working closely with the brands, Sainsbury’s will retail exclusive product ranges and support the expansion of its broader clothing offering, particularly across more specialist product areas such as curve, maternity, lingerie and tailoring.

The move will offer Sainsbury’s 23 million customers carefully curated brands alongside Tu clothing - across both the Tu website and the new fashion destination hubs on the shop floor.

Almost 40% of branded sales on the Tu website this year have come from its contemporary clothing brand offer.