Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Danish homeware chain Søstrene Grene is coming to the UK. The retailer has chosen intu Victoria Centre shopping centre in Nottingham as the location for its first store.
Translated into English as ‘Sisters Grene’ after the founders Anna and Clara Grene, Søstrene Grene is a lifestyle brand that stocks kitchenware, gifts, designer home accessories, interior furnishings, stationery, toys, DIY, artists’ materials, party & wrapping, personal care, leisure, napkins/candles, food and tea.
The family-owned company was founded in Denmark in 1973 and operates more than 100 stores in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Japan, and Ireland.
Bjørn Bach Eriksen, coo – head of retail expansion, at Søstrene Grene, said: “We’re excited to bring our concept to the UK – and intu Victoria Centre, located in the heart of England, is a great place to start. We hope the store will be a big success and look forward to working with intu to further invest in our move to the UK.”
Søstrene Grene has signed up to 4,275sq ft of space for a period of 10 years, and will be situated on the upper level of the shopping centre between House of Fraser and the new restaurants by the Grade II listed clock tower.
Martin Breeden development director of intu, said: “It’s interesting that Søstrene Grene has chosen to make its UK debut in intu Victoria Centre and not in London.
“This is a growing trend we’re seeing across our national portfolio. The successful refurbishment of intu Victoria Centre and the strong demographics of Nottingham have no doubt played a huge part in that decision.”
Boasting a total catchment population of 3.2 million and available retail spend of £13 billion, intu Victoria Centre is home to 976,400sq ft of retail, catering and leisure space and welcomes an annual footfall of 23 million.
Intu has recently completed a major £40 million upgrade of the centre, including structural changes to open up visibility throughout the mall, reconfiguration of retail space to create enhanced shop frontages, new ceilings and flooring materials.
