Polish retailer Reserved targets UK expansion

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Oct 4, 2017

Fashion brand Reserved, which opened its debut UK flagship store on London’s Oxford Street last month, has hired Harper Dennis Hobbs to advise on its UK expansion plans.

Part of Poland’s LLP Group, the brand launched its first store in the UK with great fanfare on 6 September. Brand ambassador Kate Moss arrived as a special guest as a large crowd gathered around the location.

The UK flagship is located in the former BHS unit, and Reserved is looking for more large format stores in key retail locations across the country as part of its expansion strategy.

“Early indications show the launch of the new store was a huge success; from a real estate point of view it is refreshing to see an established fast fashion brand with substantial backing entering the UK in such a high profile spot. Equally, from a consumer point of view I think the coverage they have had has exceeded that of recent entrants – with the autumn campaign featuring Kate Moss bringing Reserved’s identity to life in a way that has appealed to British consumers,” said Dan Hildyard, head of UK agency at Harper Dennis Hobs.

The company, which has said it aims to become the world’s top fashion retailer, is also launching in Serbia, Belarus and Kazakhstan this year.

In the UK, the company plans to grow its presence online and physically with new locations in large cities and at prime shopping centres. The Oxford Circus flagship is being used as a reference point to better understand the UK market before expanding further.

Krzysztof Bocianowski, head of real estate for all the LPP brands said: “This will be a carefully considered expansion plan throughout 2018 and beyond with focus on key large cities and regional shopping centres. Reserved is adopting a cautious approach and will only select the super prime locations on the best possible terms. We have the ability to move quickly but are under no pressure from the board, the deal has to be right.”

Reserved has 450 stores across 18 countries.