Paphitis returns to UK lingerie market
Published: 23 February, 2011
With the US-based Victoria’s Secret due to make its UK debut in 2012, the lingerie market is due for a shake-up. And industry veteran Theo Paphitis has moved to steal a march on his US rival with the nationwide launch of his own brand, Boux Avenue.
Among his stable of retail ventures, Dragons Den star Paphitis has owned stakes in the Contessa lingerie chain and the UK & European arms of La Senza, before selling them at a profit in 2006 to concentrate on his Rymans and Partners stationery businesses. But Boux Avenue marks his return to the lingerie sector and his first retail start-up.
He described the brand as “feminine and elegant while also being sultry and sexy,” explaining: “Boux Avenue is about appealing to your moods - one day it may be sophisticated, another seductive. Boux Avenue will offer a fantastic lingerie and nightwear shopping experience for women who want to feel special.”
The brand will focus on sizing options that range from 30A to 40G initially and later all the way to K. This will ensure that women will be able to buy beautiful styles that fit perfectly.
Paphitis says the Boux Avenue stores will be the most beautiful lingerie destination on the high street and online, delivering irresistible lingerie in luxurious surroundings. Jones Lang LaSalle has been retained to find 30 sites this year, and already six have been secured in time for the March 2011 launch.
Boux Avenue will open a 2,771-sq ft store on the lower ground floor of St David’s, Cardiff at the same time as five other flagship stores at the Trafford Centre in Manchester, Lakeside in Thurrock, Essex; Bluewater in Kent, Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow and Meadowhall in Sheffield.
Paphitis said St David’s was a crucial location for the launch of the new concept. “St David’s is a key part of our strategy of opening in premier shopping centres across the UK. It covers a big swathe of the country and to open in Wales St David’s was the place to be,” he said.
In parallel with the store portfolio, Boux Avenue will be a multi-channel retailer from the outset.
Paphitis is aiming to make the Boux Avenue website the UK’s premier online lingerie destination and it is designed to be visually exciting, easy to use, a fashion authority in lingerie and an inspirational experience.
According to Jones Lang LaSalle’s head of retail Guy Grainger, Boux Avenue will be one of the first fashion brands to fully integrate online and high street retail. The website is expected to generate up to 50 per cent of sales, but as Grainger points out: “This model is about a web business, but it absolutely needs physical stores to sell the brand and experience.”
And the launch of Boux Avenue doesn’t mean Paphitis is stepping back from his media activities: he is appearing in the new series of Dragons’ Den and this spring, he stars in a new seven-part BBC2 series, called The Next Big Thing. The programmes look at the world of retail buying and the strategies and tactics adopted by potential suppliers.
