New Zealand retailer Pumpkin Patch Ltd (PPL) has confirmed it will enter into two new international wholesale partnerships.
The leading Australasian childrenswear business has signed a distribution agreement with Liverpool, one of Mexico’s leading department store chains and one of PPL's existing Middle East partners, Jawad Business Group, has also confirmed it will start selling PPL's spin-off label, Charlie & Me, in 25 stand alone stores.
Charlie & Me, which is stocked across Australia and New Zealand, is aimed at 'kids who are always on the go' and will enter Middle East stores within the next 12 months.
Mexico's Liverpool chain will initially start selling Pumpkin Patch product in 24 of its 79 stores in the latter part of this calendar year.
In making the announcement PPL's chief executive officer, Neil Cowie, said Mexico will be its 21st international market and gives the group 'added confidence' in its international strategies and reinforces the opportunities that exist in many offshore markets.
“Like all of our international relationships these new partnerships will take time to build up and reach their full potential. As a result we don’t expect to see noticeable earnings from these relationships until late in the 2013 financial year,” Cowie said. “Not only does the wholesale and franchise business generate high margin earnings, it leverages off our existing design, supply chain, and other support functions so we won’t need to invest large amounts of capital going forward.”