Boden is moving onto the high street, via womenswear concessions in John Lewis stores.
The first five openings, set to launch in the autumn, represent a major expansion for the online retailer’s physical presence. It curently trades from one Boden store in Hangar Lane, London. More concessions are then planned for 2018. The range sold in John Lewis stores will also be sold its website, johnlewis.com.
Boden, a Top150 retailer in IRUK Top500 research, will join other online sellers in having an offline presence in John Lewis. Hush and Finery now have 23 concessions between them in the department store’s branches.
‘We are really excited to be going into John Lewis,” said Boden chief executive Jill Easterbrook. “It marks the coming together of two great British brands. I can’t wait for more people to discover Boden, and for our loyal customers to experience the brand in a whole new way.”
Christine Kasoulis, John Lewis buying director fashion, said: “The introduction of Boden builds on our continued strategy to provide our customers with an inspiring selection of unique brands that they cannot find anywhere else on the high street. We are thrilled to be exclusively launching Boden in our shops.”
The first five concessions will be in the following John Lewis’ Oxford Street, Cambridge, Reading, Southampton and Oxford department stores this October.
Sales of womenswear at John Lewis, an Elite retailer in IRUK Top500 research, grew by 6.8% in its last financial year.
Our view: As catalogue trader Boden moved online, it worked hard to make it easy for shoppers to buy via its website. Today it offers free returns, features an outfit visualiser on its website, and has easy delivery options such as click and collect via DPD and Hermes parcel shops. All this of is geared towards bridging the gap between online retailing and the ultimately offline customer. Opening concessions gives Boden another sales channel. Its chief executive acknowledges it stands to gain more shoppers by the move. This isn’t a story of online vs offline, but of a retailer looking to engage with as many existing and potential customers as it can.
