N Brown to roll out 25 high street stores
HOME shopping group N Brown is planning to open up to 25 stores across the UK to offer shoppers more opportunities to “click and collect”.
The retailer, which has six dual facia Simply Be/Jacamo outlets as well as 21 High & Mighty shops for oversize people, will begin its roll-out shortly with new stores in Leeds and Derby.
It has recently begun gearing up for a festive sales push by launching a click and collect service across 3,000 local convenience stores including Spar.
N Brown is also focusing its “game changing” international expansion plans on the US market, where it has been boosting service levels by upgrading its website and shortening delivery times.
New chief executive Angela Spindler, formerly the boss at discount chain The Original Factory Shop, said: “I have spent my first three months looking at the business in detail and I am extremely excited by what I have seen.”
The group reported healthy sales of £3.4million from its existing click and collect stores during the first half and is targeting prime locations around the country.
Spindler said: “The idea is that the stores are multi-channel hubs for our customers, whether those customers shop with us online, in-store or over the telephone and we’ve come up with 25.”
Interim pre-tax profit was up 7.1 per cent to £45million on revenue of £409.6million, up 8 per cent. Shares fell 26½p to 489p.
