SYDNEY: Yet another Italian denim brand is making a move on the Australian market with Replay gearing up to open its first local retail store.
The Australian licensee of the brand, Nick Mascitelli Imports (NMI), has revealed it will launch a Replay boutique in Sydney by the dawn of 2011. NMI managing director David Mascitelli said a Melbourne store opening was likely to follow in late 2011.
It will be Replay’s first Australian retail presence following many years of various wholesale distribution deals. NMI has been the local distributor for the brand for the past three years, wholesaling the label’s denim, apparel and underwear to 35 boutiques across Australia and New Zealand.
In addition to the retail investment, Mascitelli said NMI plans to ramp up its marketing spend in the wake of numerous changes at Replay’s head office. Hong Kong-based Sugi Ltd Group became Replay’s new majority owner in December 2009 and will shortly unveil a new brand ambassador, new denim capsule collections and new designs based on Replay’s heritage product, Mascitelli said.
“We’ll be focusing a lot more on advertising ourselves,” he added. “So it will obviously be a much bigger presence of Replay in both the media world and also on the market itself with presence in our own stores.”
While the birth of Replay’s retail arm is NMI’s prime focus, Mascitelli also discussed changes to Replay’s wholesale operations.
“Our focus is not necessarily on rolling out more wholesale accounts but it’s more on growing our presence within our existing accounts,” he said. “Most probably there will be the addition of one or two department stores, possibly one of the big chain stores and mostly a bigger presence in our existing clients.”
Replay’s move into retail is just one factor contributing to a shake up of the local denim industry, with fellow Italian denim labels Gas and Diesel also initiating retail and wholesale changes in recent weeks. Mascitelli was not fazed by the competition.
“I think it’s good,” he said. “These brands always fit hand-in-hand in many countries around the world and they compete with each other but they also somehow feed off each other. So I think their presence is all good for the market, for each other’s brands.”
Erin O’Loughlin