NATIONAL: Womenswear brand Metalicus has celebrated its 15th anniversary by announcing an aggressive retail and wholesale expansion strategy.
The Victorian headquartered bodywear label - which currently boasts three flagship stores across the country including Melbourne's GPO Building, Chadstone Shopping Centre and Westfield Bondi – has revealed plans to boost its wholesale growth within Australia, New Zealand and the international market by 40 per cent within the next 12 months.
Metalicus designer and founder Melma Hamersfeld said strong sales across its 600-plus distribution base indicated demand for the bodywear basics had not slowed since its inception in 1992.
Hamersfeld said according to data released by Chadstone Shopping Centre and Westfield Bondi, Metalicus was the number one fashion retailer per square metre in both shopping precincts. As a result of this, she said immediate plans for the rollout of retail stores in every CBD of every state in Australia were already underway, with sites and locations currently under review.
Hamersfeld said solid sales growth among key clients in the UK, which include London department stores Harvey Nichols and Liberty, indicated further opportunities for expansion in the Northern Hemisphere. Along with employing PR agencies for both the US and UK markets, Hamersfeld said Metalicus was reviewing sites for its first flagship store in London and had appointed a Japanese distributor to add to its UK, Europe, US and Canadian supplier base.
"The history of the brand demonstrates that the product is truly innovative and highlights the challenges faced in every aspect of the business including production, marketing, sales and design."
Hamersfeld said in order to better service the company's growing list of clients, it had recently relocated to a 1500sq metre office and warehouse space in Abbotsford.
Metalicus is currently available in 400 stores throughout Australian including Myer, David Jones and independent specialty stores.