Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Lakeland plans to expand into the $2.3 billion Australian housewares market later this year as the next stage of its overseas development strategy.
The housewares chain’s managing director Sam Rayner believes there is “tremendous opportunity” for the Lakeland brand down under.
“Our innovative, quality kitchenware ranges align perfectly with Australia’s foodie culture and passion for cooking and baking, so we’re confident that our products will prove very popular with Australian consumers,” he said.
Marketing and international development director Tony Preedy added: “We are very selective with the markets we choose to enter and Australia’s no different.
“We’re delighted to make Lakeland’s products available to Australian consumers and are extremely pleased to have selected iconic Australian retailer, The Good Guys, as our local partner.”
The Good Guys will be responsible for managing Lakeland’s Australian operations. The partnership will begin with Lakeland stores-within-stores at the Good Guys, starting in 12 locations this year with plans to expand nationally over the next two years. Stand-alone Lakeland stores are scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2017.
Australian customers will be able to purchase Lakeland products through The Good Guys stores and thegoodguys.com.au as early as October, ahead of the launch of Lakeland’s website and first stand-alone stores in early 2017.
The partnership between the two brands is “a match made in heaven” according to The Good Guys ceo Michael Ford.
“Lakeland is an incredibly loved brand in the UK and it won’t take long for Australian consumers to discover why,” he said. “When you combine the product quality with the price and their customer service, I think they bring something new and very special to the Australian market.
“For The Good, Guys this partnership forms part of our growth strategy and adds a whole new dimension to our ‘Everything for the Cook’ offering.
“We have been refining our kitchenware product range over the past nine months and the addition of Lakeland will provide us with a unique solution for kitchenware that puts us well ahead of our competitors.”
Founded in the early 1960s in Windermere by Alan Rayner, the family-owned business has grown to become a multi-national retailer.
Lakeland has 69 stores operating in the UK from Aberdeen to Truro, with more in the pipeline, as well as stores in the Middle East (operated by Jawad Business Group) and India (operated by Retail Operations Company Trent, part of the Tata Group) and a dedicated website for German consumers, Lakeland.de.
The Lakeland range comprises more than 4,000 products and best sellers in the UK include the Lakeland Easy-Store Spiralizer and the Nutribullet. From a distribution centre in Kendal, Lakeland dispatches more than 7 million products a year to customers in over 100 countries.
