Luxury footwear brand Stuart Weitzman has spread its reach into the Australian market, with a new flagship store set to launch in Sydney later this year.
The New York-headquartered brand has flagged Australia as part of an international expansion strategy, with the first stand-alone site opening in Chadstone in Melbourne in November 2009 and a second store scheduled for Westfield CBD Sydney in October. An aggressive expansion drive has seen it spread to 65 countries worldwide with flagship stores in New York, Milan, Paris, Moscow and Beijing.
Footwear retail group Hermanns, which operates a network of 17 branded and multi-label boutiques across Australia, has been selling the brand in Australia for seven years along with department store David Jones. Hermanns buyer Yael Star said the group was granted franchise rights for Stuart Weitzman last year and intends to open sites in key city hotspots.
“Hermanns has carried and sold Stuart’s shoes for many years in its stores and decided to open free-standing stores when Stuart decided to expand the brand internationally,” he said. “The plan is to open a couple of stores in Melbourne and Sydney and Westfield City seemed a natural choice.”
While the brand produces 400 styles across the casual and evening categories per season, the Australian retail offer will be edited to 30 to 35 styles per collection. Hermanns confirmed a combination of both autumn/winter and spring/summer stock will be offered with prices ranging from $400 to $700.
The Hermanns Group operates Giallo, Edward Meller and Hermanns branded stores.
Assia Benmedjdoub