George at Asda announces partnership plans
George at Asda has announced plans to work with partner brands in store and online as part of its strategy to broaden its appeal to younger Asda customers.
Kicking off with the launch of the hugely popular ‘In the Style’ label in May, George has confirmed it aims to offer the womenswear label in 100 shops across the UK by the end of the year. A similar roll out is planned for Missguided, Little Mistress, Lee and Wrangler later this summer.
The launch of brand partnerships and the new George own-brand labels are the brainchild of the retailer’s incubator hub, Lab 16, which was established six months ago to identify innovative brand partners and ranges that would attract new customers to George. The fashion retailer, which turned 30 last year, is already the second biggest retailer of women’s fashion in the UK by volume.
With George fashion and home ranges already well established in its stores and online, George has also confirmed plans for a partnership with beauty and wellness brand ‘Raw Beauty’ which will be rolled out across larger flagship stores this year in a bid to elevate their lifestyle offering.
Zoe Matthews, Vice-President of George product said: “We offer our brand partners scale and expertise from within our business, and it’s important we learn from them, too. Some of the brands we’re working with have an outstanding social media reach and they are penetrating a younger customer base through new channels. It is about having complementary businesses to ours and it’s important that we grow their business and our own. We’ll introduce them gradually, scale them and learn from it.”
The announcement comes as the fashion industry prepares for the easing of lockdown restrictions on 12th April.
Commenting on this, Zoe Matthews added: “We have seen real some real momentum in our sales as we’ve progressed our strategy and with the re-opening of shops later this month, let’s hope for some sunshine to boost overall growth in the sector.”
Commenting on the ongoing strategic importance of George to the wider Asda business, Asda
President and CEO Roger Burnley said, “George has been a crucial part of the Asda family and continues to be a key part of our strategy. George is the second-largest retailer of clothing in the UK by volume and has a vibrant and growing home offer that attracts customers to our stores and online. Our new owners, and investors, clearly recognise the value and strategic importance of the George brand to our total business and we will continue to invest in its success.”