Australian luggage brand Strand (formerly Strandbags) is preparing to establish its one-year-old private label brand Nere as a standalone venture.
Strand CEO Felicity McGahan confirmed the news with Ragtrader, calling it a major city strategy that includes owned retail stores and wholesale opportunities across key locations in the UK.
“It's an overall Nere property strategy that we'll see resonate in the major cities globally because we're looking at that opportunity; certainly in Australia as well, and obviously in the UK,” McGahan said.
McGahan cited London as a key city, with store numbers dependant on market feedback. .
“It will be a test and respond,” she said. “The key is to get the first few right to build confidence so we can keep going.
“We're in the middle of working on the property strategy at the moment, and I would imagine in the next month, we'll land where the first store is.
“And then by the end of the year, we'll be clear on the property strategy for the UK.”
The Nere brand is also expected to establish a physical presence in the United States. This will be buoyed by Strand’s other brand subsidiary Antler, which has already entered the US market through a dedicated website. Antler is a heritage luggage brand born in London in 1914.
“I always think creating a brand is a lot easier than building a brand,” McGahan said. “So we've got to be really committed now, give it the time and focus, give it the investment and the commitment to make it amazing.
“It's a big market, and we need to get it right in the UK. And then I'm confident once we're successful there, there'll be no reason that we can't take Nere into the US as well.
“We’re leading with Antler there, and then we'll follow with Nere.”
McGahan said the success of Nere over the last 12 months is due to the “fashion luggage” concept it entails.
Initially, McGahan said she was worried about the colours within the Nere range, particularly with how consumers would respond to them. However, she said market testing predicted the brand's potential.
“Everyone today is looking for their own luggage to define their own personal style, and not be so one-dimensional,” she said. “We hosted over 100 media and influencers and everyone was putting together their own look.
“Some people went more conservative with the neutrals, some went right out there with the hyper pink. I think that was it: creating a brand that gave each of those customer segments their own personal style.”
McGahan said another key reason for scaling in the UK is to give customers a physical touchpoint, based on insights learned in the Australian market.
“When we bought Nere to life [in-store], all the customers kept saying it was so much better than the images online,” she said. “So we've got to be able to give them that opportunity.
“And then there’s the build. When you put in the Nere options and the accessories, there are many ways to personalize it for your personal style. There are like 1600 options when you put all the accessories together.
“So again, a customer needs to be able to do that in a physical way. Some people are savvy enough to do it digitally, but it’s just giving them that option.”