Australian stationery retailer Smiggle heads to UK
Australian stationery retailer Smiggle is planning an expansion into the UK with the potential for up to 200 stores.
Smiggle, part of the Just Group whose parent company is Premier Investments, will open its first UK store at London’s Westfield Stratford shopping centre in February 2014 with the aim of launching five to eight stores in the UK in the year. The store will sell the brand’s own range of children’s stationery and watches as well as its Peter Pyjama range.
In its full year results statement issued last month, Premier said it believed the opportunity for Smiggle in the UK to be substantial, with a personal stationery category valued at $2.4 billion.
Smiggle, which operates stores in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, sees potential for up to 200 stores in the UK with the possibility for sales and profitability to eventually exceed that of the Australian Smiggle network.
Premier retail chief executive Mark McInnes said: “We have ambitious growth plans for Smiggle, which we see as a completely unique brand in the international market. The scope of our plans is well matched by a highly capable management team led by John Cheston, our group general manager of Smiggle, who brings a deep experience in Asia and the UK.”
