Womenswear designer Karen Walker has capitalised on her partnership with department store Myer, recording a 49 per cent increase in premium sales for the season, as both prepare for a joint export drive.
Walker recorded the increase in comparative sales for spring/summer 2011/12 during one of the most difficult trading periods yet, with her premium line even outperforming diffusion range Hi There - Karen Walker.
Myer group business manager Judy Coomber said this was among the key reasons Walker secured Designer of The Year at Myer’s 2011 supplier awards.
“Karen Walker has had an especially strong year in 2011,” she confirmed.
Adding to future growth, Hi There has now secured an exclusive deal with American retail giant Anthropologie, which will stock the womenswear brand from February 2012.
“Anthropologie and another major USA retailer both approached us mid-last year wanting to stock the line,” Walker told Ragtrader. “We met and decided that Anthropologie were the perfect partners for us.”
The Urban Outfitters Group subsidiary has over 135 sites in the US and ships to 30 countries worldwide. Anthropologie also operates flagship stores in Canada and the UK.
While premium Karen Walker collections have been stocked at Myer for over six years, the two businesses first created Hi There in 2008.
The line is now sold in New Zealand Karen Walker sites and 32 Myer stores, with the latter up 16 per cent season to date in sales and profit and up seven per cent to budget.
“We’ve been selling into the Northern Hemisphere for over 14 years, but this is the first time with a partner such as Myer,” Walker said. “We’re very excited about this big expansion for the brand and look forward to working with this extremely well-respected and exciting retailer.”
