Media & Insights

International fashion brands debut at Bluewater

30 October 2017

Landsec has welcomed two international fashion debuts to Bluewater, Europe’s leading retail and leisure destination. Coach, the renowned New York design house of modern luxury accessories, has opened their first boutique in the South East at Bluewater. Joining Coach is Alex and Ani, the American symbol-based fashion jewellery brand, who launched their UK debut stand-alone store at Bluewater on September 25. 

Designed by an in-house team, the new 1,750 sq ft Coach store, located on the Lower Guildhall adjacent to House of Frasier, features a modern luxury interior. Leather furniture and bespoke fittings showcase the full range of men’s and women’s products available and provide a seamless, premium customer journey. 

Bringing their statement American style to the UK for the first time, Alex and Ani’s 890 sq ft store is next to Pandora on the Lower Thames Walk. Offering the brand’s creative collection of bangles, earrings, necklaces and bracelets, the store embodies their modern look and feel, featuring elements from their Rhode Island heritage. Store design was carried out by an in-house team.

As the latest in a series of international brands taking space at Bluewater, kate spade new york will join Coach and Alex and Ani later in the year, further bolstering Bluewater’s prestigious international brand mix.  Bluewater’s acclaimed premium and affordable luxury category has also swelled in recent months, following the additions of Neal’s Yard and Godiva earlier this year. 

Russell Loveland, Portfolio Director at Landsec, co-owner and asset manager of Bluewater, said: “We are always looking to drive our premium offer to appeal to the affluent catchment. The openings of Coach and kate spade new york launching late this year, in addition to Alex and Ani, significantly enhance Bluewater’s overall line-up of leading national and international retailers and further strengthen Bluewater’s position as Europe’s leading retail and leisure destination.” 

President of Coach Europe, Catherine Levesque, added: “Coach is delighted to open our doors at Bluewater. The opening has been extremely successful and we look forward to continuing this performance into the festive season and provide a modern luxury experience to shoppers.”

In addition to the brands mentioned, these openings follow a string of other recent international brand signings. Smashbox, the Los-Angeles based beauty brand opened its first store in the South East at Bluewater, and global fashion retailer Missguided also launched their first store outside of London at the centre.

CBRE and Time Retail Partners acted for Bluewater. The Coach brand represented themselves in the deal.  Maddox Retail acted on behalf of Alex and Ani. 

Ends

For further information, please contact Nick Thornton, Amy Cassidy or Sarah Stone at Aver via nickthornton@aver.uk.com, amycassidy@aver.uk.com or sarahstone@aver.uk.com.

Landsec 

At Landsec, we believe great places are for people to experience and are made with the experience of great people. As the UK’s largest listed commercial property company, with 23.2 million sq ft of real estate and a portfolio valued at £14.4 billion, we own and manage some of the most successful and recognisable assets in the country.
 
In London, our portfolio totals more than £8.3 billion, and consists of 6.5 million sq ft of real estate. From the world-famous Piccadilly Lights to the transformation of Victoria, SW1, we deliver exceptional experiences for the businesses and people that live and work in, and visit, the capital.
 
In Retail, across our 16.7 million sq ft of assets, we create outstanding experiences for customers and guests alike. Combined with the strength and resilience of our portfolio, this means we regularly outperform industry benchmarks for footfall and sales. We offer more than convenience and choice, recognising that memorable destinations are key to attracting the shoppers and retailers of today, and tomorrow.
 
We also aim to lead our industry in critical long-term issues – from diversity and community employment, to carbon and climate resilience. Everything we do is grounded in experience and begins with people.

We deliver value for our shareholders, great experiences for our customers and positive change for our communities. At Landsec, everything is experience.