Reborn Cath Kidston reopens Piccadilly, London flagship

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 2, 2020

As non-essential shops in England open on Wednesday after the almost-four-week lockdown, Cath Kidston is making it an even more momentous occasion as the company is returning to London with the reopening of its global flagship store at 180 Piccadilly.

The location was closed earlier this year, affected both by the national lockdown in the spring and by its administration filing and subsequent buyout. Its new owners withdrew from UK physical retail and the fate of the large flagship seemed to hang in the balance.

Its reopening makes it the firm’s only UK high street store and comes on the back of the brand transformation plan that had been announced in October, which saw Creative Director, Holly Marler, joining from Liberty London.

She's been working on the revamp of the store since then and the company said that the location will now act as a true flagship, featuring some exclusive products as part of a special reopening collection.

The 180 Piccadilly Collection has a mix of new and vintage hand-painted prints on silk scarves (from £25), silk scrunchies (£20), cushions (from £55) and soaps (from £8).

The flagship has been transformed “to showcase the brand’s 27 years of British design and print heritage”. The company said the 7,040 sq ft store, set across three floors, “is themed around animating the ‘Home of Cath Kidston’; designed to give customers an opportunity to explore the world of Cath Kidston, while complementing the new digital-first strategy”.

In-store, it includes “dedicated areas reflecting consumer demand and the brand’s status as a gifting destination”. The company said it has seen “a resurgence in Home and Kids categories as customers spend more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic” and these areas currently represent 45% of total sales.

180 Piccadilly will also be focused on beauty & wellness, home entertaining, a bespoke haberdashery area that offers home décor options and fabric by the metre, as well as a Christmas Gift Emporium. 

CEO Melinda Paraie said: “London is at the heart of our brand. We are confident that our customers will recognise and love the quality and craft of the products in a highly curated environment, relatable to today’s lifestyle.”

The company had struggled for several years ahead of its pre-pack administration filing this spring but it said it has now “realigned its cost base and structure to create an economically viable operating model as a brand-led, digital first retailer, with e-commerce accounting for 85% of the business”.

That has also included streamlining the product range “by curating content for customers in more meaningful ways and refining the offer to focus on key products and easier ways to shop”.