Freemans, once famous for its catalogues, has rebranded itself from a home-shopping retailer to what it says is a “vibrant digital department store’ as it launches its new site and app.
Owned by German retail giant OTTO, Freemans is also adding clothing from Quiz, Radley, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge to its roster of brands. It is also planning an exclusive partnership with designer Julien Macdonald later in the year for Spring 2021.
In a statement, Chief Customer Officer Richard Cristofoli said: “We think there’s never been a better time for launching a vibrant digital department store backed by new product offer and a refreshed credit proposition.”
The move marks an interesting shift for Freemans, as it looks to modernise and tap into the corona-induced ecommerce boom. It is also interesting as it marks out yet another retail brand that is slowly becoming a quasi-marketplace.
With more consumers shopping online than ever before and with many of those turning to marketplaces, retailers such as Freemans find themselves in a unique position of suddenly being highly relevant again.
