Southampton has been long known as one of the UK’s most popular destinations for lovers of sailing, but an increased boom in summer tourism has lifted the city’s economy for the past few years. In part, this is due to the proximity of other docks in Portsmouth and on the Isle of Wight, but also thanks to the south coast’s growing popularity for surfers seeking to holiday on a budget.
Clothing retailer Fat Face is looking to capitalise on this situation this year, and has chosen to launch a new regional flagship store at the WestQuay shopping centre in the city as a result. The retailer originally operated a smaller store within the centre, but due to demand made the decision to upgrade to a 6,600 square foot unit – doubling its retail space within WestQuay.
As the new store is significantly larger than the former unit, Fat Face will now be able to stock its full range of women’s, men’s and children’s clothing as well as accessories which have helped to grow the brand’s popularity. Branded t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts have played an instrumental role in the retailer’s growth over the past few years, and retail and property director Simon Greene hopes the wider range will only help to further Fat Face’s ambitious growth plans.
He says; “Our new store is not only in a great location, it has allowed us to showcase the Fat Face brand to great effect.”
He went on to highlight the fact that the previous Southampton store, despite its smaller size, was one of the brand’s strongest performing stores in the UK. In fact, although plans have only come to fruition recently, the brand has been working with WestQuay owner Hammerson for some time regarding an upsizing of its commercial space within the centre.
At present, Fat Face operates more than 200 stores in the UK and Ireland, and its steady profits have caused industry experts to speculate whether a large scale increase in its commercial property portfolio is on the cards. However, rivals such as Superdry and Timberland – which have also recently opened at WestQuay – pose strong competition in the lifestyle fashion sector of the retail industry and could potentially stand in the way of rapid expansion.
Assistant director of retail leasing at Hammerson, Sarah Mander, believes Fat Face’s regional flagship store will add to the success seen at WestQuay over recent years.
She says; “Fat Face’s decision to upsize is the latest in a series of significant changes to WestQuay’s retail offer in the last 12 months.
“Fat Face makes a key contribution to WestQuay’s fashion line up, but combined with the other new additions such as White Stuff, Superdry and Boux Avenue, we have a critical mass that is unmatched anywhere else in the catchment.”
Do you think flagship stores are a good way for brands to access a wider pool of consumers thanks to the increased range on offer, or would Fat Face have benefited more from opening another small store in a nearby location?
