Intu is preparing to launch the first UK store dedicated to online fashion brands at its Lakeside centre.
It will involve nine labels, trading from an 8,500 sq ft store. These will operate on a “new flexible lease that will allow it to offer opportunities to more emerging online brands when space becomes available”.
Intu will manage and operate the store, including staffing, store fit-out and experiential elements.
The space will feature a catwalk, new retail technology, including a “selfie-mirror” with social media capabilities, a DJ booth and a VIP personal stylist service.
The line-up so far includes brands Whyte Studio, Alice’s Lips, and Gina Bacconi.
The news comes as intu outlines a new team structure to grow its business and relationships with retailers and leisure operators.
There are four new heads of partnerships to oversee different sectors. House of Fraser’s former retail operations director Sally Haskayne has been appointed as head of fashion partnerships.
Bruce Gardner, former head of partnerships at horse racing organisation The Jockey Club, will lead on building new and existing relationships with consumer goods brands.
Christopher Baker and Nick Round have moved over from intu’s asset management team to respectively take on the roles of head of lifestyle partnerships and head of food, beverage and leisure partnerships.
James Miller has also been appointed as intu’s head of analytics and insight, with responsibility for using data to deliver commercial value for intu and the many brands it works with.
He joins the team from data consultancy Starcount, and prior to that was head of retail insight at Experian.
The customer performance directorate was formed as part of intu’s five-year strategy last year to drive the performance of its rent-paying customers and attract more online brands to its centres by working in closer partnership, sharing data and insight, and developing new products and services.
It is led by intu’s customer performance director Rebecca Ryman, who previously ran the leasing strategies for a number of centres including the transformational extensions of intu Lakeside and intu Watford.
Matthew Roberts, chief executive of intu, said: “We recognise that we need to work more collaboratively with our rent-paying customers and deliver additional value to help them navigate the challenges currently facing the sector.
“This will allow us to deliver an important part of intu’s strategy by ensuring all our customers flourish.”
Rebecca Ryman, customer performance director at intu, said: “We have built a team of sector specialists who will drive more value for our rent-paying customers and attract new brands to our centres for the first time.
“We will work closely with brands to develop and share new insight, products and services that will ensure their intu locations are their most successful.”
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