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Tag: Hobbs

  • Hobbs London opens in IFC Mall

    Hobbs London opens in IFC Mall

    Hobbs London, a brand for woman affordable luxury fashion, partnered with Rue Madame to unveil its first store at IFC Mall, situated amidst the city’s vibrant business and shopping district. Trading from 1150 square feet, the brand will showcase its collection of workwear, occasion dresses and casualwear, alongside its premium range of footwear and accessories.

    While visiting the store, customers can enjoy their shopping with style advisors on hand to help provide styling solutions for their individual needs.

    Each Hobbs store is designed to reflect the brand’s London heritage and contemporary sensibility.

    The clothing is displayed in easy-to-shop capsule collections, drawing upon the brand’s considered approach to womenswear.

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  • Hobbs launches in Hong Kong soon

    Hobbs launches in Hong Kong soon

    Hobbs will open its first store in Hong Kong in December, inside IFC mall. The UK womens fashion label has set a rapid expansion program this year, with the Hong Kong store marking its seventh new international market. Founded in London in 1981, initially specialising in shoes before expanding into the clothing and accessories, it has expanded across the UK, US and Germany and sells online.

    This year it has already opened points of sale in Kuwait, Japan, Beijing, Singapore, Belgium and South Africa.

    Hobbs CEO Meg Lustman said in an interview the company has partnered with a local company to establish a joint venture for the Hong Kong business, someone “who has great relationships with the landlords”.

    Hobbs is a sister brand of Whistles, which opened a store in IFC mall in April. The two brands, along with Phase Eight, are owned by the UK subsidiary of South African retail company The Foschini Group.
    Lustman said Whistles was doing well in Hong Kong and she is confident Hobbs will follow suit.

    “We can see our customer exists out there. When we’ve visited over the years, we’ve seen how many women are dressed for professional work. This is supported by demand from customers on our website.”

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  • Fashion chain Hobbs builds global footprint

    Fashion chain Hobbs builds global footprint

    UK fashion chain Hobbs has reported a significant boost in sales driven by impressive international performances in the US and Germany.

    While same-store sales rose 3.9 per cent in the 13 weeks to December 31, total sales rose 14.3 per cent due to international expansion. Retail Week said the improvement reflected investment in product range and customer experience. Online sales grew 26.7 per cent.

    Hobbs joins other premium clothing retailers such as Reiss, Joules and Superdry to report positive trading results over the Christmas period.

    “This shows the opportunity and success in the premium fashion market despite 2016 being an incredibly tough year for mass market clothing retailers,” observes analyst Charlotte Pearce.

    Last year saw Hobbs open its first international solus store in Westchester, New York and further expansion across Bloomingdales’ store network and on bloomingdales.com. International sales rose by 97.9 per cent as a result.

    “Hobbs’ entry into Germany will prove worthwhile due to its strong British heritage and focus on quality and fit of products,” said Pearce.

    “Outerwear has been reported as a resounding success for Hobbs throughout the UK and its international markets, but as we move into spring/summer 2017 and put our coats to the back of the closet, CEO Meg Lustman and her team will need to close in on who Hobbs is targeting and which key trends will resonate best among its core shopper base to continue this run of better sales.”

    Hobbs is rumoured in the financial press to be up for sale after more than a decade under 3i’s ownership.

    “As we head into a difficult few years of trading, potential new owners must recognise that Hobbs is not yet out of the woods despite a better Christmas trading period.  It must firm up its place in the market and improve brand appeal and awareness to secure a loyal customer base,” concluded Pearce.

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