Atlantic Brands has signalled plans to expand its bricks and mortar footprint, following the opening of its first store last month. Atlantic Brands operates US-based collegiate brand, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), in Australia, as well as fashion labels Tumble N Dry, Gsus Sindustries, and K.O.I, and is the local licensee of Lonsdale. The store, located at Westfield Eastgardens in Sydney, is the first to open under the Atlantic Brands banner in Australia. A second will open
n later this month at Brisbane’s Garden City shopping centre, followed by a third store at Wollongong Central.
Ross Harris, GM of Atlantic Brands, says the rollout will assist in building brand awareness for Atlantic Brands’ portfolio of labels.
“The Atlantic Brands store model will generally have between two to five brands in total, but it’s just Lonsdale and UCLA that we have now. The other three brands are still in the early stages,” Harris said.
“We want a really clear brand space for each label within our stores. We don’t just want to have 30 brands under one roof.”
In April, Atlantic Brands opened a standalone concept for UCLA at Melbourne’s Emporium.
The store, which sits alongside Lonsdale in the centre, is the first in Australia, however, Harris says the group does not intend to open more.
“At this stage our key targets for Atlantic Brands are Melbourne, Sydney, south east Queensland, and also Wollongong. I think we’re looking at a couple of stores next year.”
Atlantic Brands operates Lonsdale’s online store in Australia, however, UCLA’s e-commerce platform is still US-based.
“UCLA [online] is in the pipeline but we’re not rushing to do that, our focus is on the bricks and mortar at this stage and establishing the brand that way.”
