It's going to be an action-packed year for streetwear empire Glue Store, as our story with Darren Todd reveals.
Six months ago, Glue Store CEO Darren Todd was busy hitting the pavements of Tokyo, Japan. Along with a small team of employees, he was scouring key retail precincts in search of inspiration.
“It has always been the city where you see some of the more exciting retail formats,” he explains.
“What was exciting for us was that we came back inspired to do something very different in terms of what the physical space looked like.”
Todd has over 30 years of experience in the retail sector, with over a decade at South African retail giant Woolworths. Here, he led design sourcing and technology before moving to a two year stint as MD for Country Road.
Now, he plans to use this knowledge to position Glue as the leading branded youth department store in Australia. He joined the brand in May 2019 and boarded a plane for Japan soon after.
The result of this trip can be seen at Glue’s latest flagship store in Westfield Penrith.
SuperGlue spans 800 square metres, making it the largest branded site in New South Wales. Positioned on a single floor, it boasts a new elevated House of Brands concept with sport, street and style under one roof.
For Todd, the Toyko influence is evident in its construction.
“The best way of describing it is that it’s a mix of finished materials and also some unfinished materials where you can see the bones of the store and original brick work,” he says.
“We’ve created a really clear division between men’s, women’s and footwear spaces that I think the brands work really well in.”
International labels such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Carhartt and Fred Perry are paired with local exclusives like First Muse. There are daily product drops and an expanded apparel and accessories offer.
The store will also act as a retail entertainment precinct, with brands including Champion and Deus set to host live activations at the site.
As Glue Store celebrates two decades in business this year, broader activations are planned throughout the entire business.
“As we go into the January to March period, we’ve got some really exciting things tied up which we’re in the final stages of signing off,” Todd says.
“Over the course of the next four to six months, we’re going to be doing a number of money-can’t-buy experiences that centre around what the youth market is really passionate about, namely fashion and music.”
Todd confirmed the brand will also replatform its website in coming months, as well as invest in back-end operations.
“We actually haven’t invested significantly in our web platform over the last four to five years but it works very efficiently and our service levels are really good.
“But in terms of the market sector we’re in, we really want to put ourselves at the forefront of that sector and it’s a really big part of our strategy.
“So moving into the new year, we will have a combination of retail and digital strategies.”
On the topic of store openings, Todd says the approach will be disciplined. Currently, there are two SuperGlue stores in Melbourne, with the brand set to convert its Central Park Sydney store into a super site.
The SuperGlue blueprint was launched four years ago, Todd explains, and both the Highpoint and Emporium Melbourne stores have proven successful.
“We very much see it as Glue’s version of a department store. By department store, I don’t mean five floors of product, but a branded youth department store where we have the space and the environment to really showcase and curate these brands well.
“The opportunity to open out in Penrith, Western Sydney was great because it has always proven to be a really strong part of Sydney for the brand. There’s a huge appetite for sports, street and fashion there.
“We’re relatively well-positioned at the moment to build a larger footprint. But we would rather wait and find the right locations and do something unique rather than open a whole chunk of smaller stores.”
The Penrith store represents the first time local customers will have access to Polo Ralph Laurent, Carhartt and Fred Perry. This will be another critical strategy for Glue Store moving into the new year, Todd confirms.
“While not everything can be exclusive in this market, we really want to build on that aspect. So if it’s not exclusivity of that whole brand, it will be exclusivity of ranges and collections within a brand.
“We will work closely on our brand partners to do that.”
As Todd inches closer to his first year as CEO, he is confident the new direction will pay off.
“This is probably one of the most exciting teams I’ve ever worked with. It’s exciting to lead a young, dynamic group in an exciting, fast-paced business. A big part of my role is to make sure we bring all of the operational efficiencies to drive the business forward.”