Clas Ohlson to open new store in St Albans

Clas Ohlson is to open a new store in St Albans, just outside London, in September 2015. This represents the first step in Clas Ohlson’s continued expansion in the UK market and optimisation of the existing store network.

Clas Ohlson has signed a contract to open a new store in the Maltings Shopping Centre in St Albans, just outside London. The store will be constructed in our new smaller store format where omni channel and interaction between stores and e-commerce becomes more accessible for customers. The retail space will total approximately 300 square metres.

The store’s catchment area is large, with the primary catchment area alone comprises approximately 110,000 residents. The store has a prime location in the shopping centre, which attracts about 21 million visitors every year. The new store is scheduled to open in September 2015.

In connection with this, the store in Merry Hill in Birmingham will close in August 2015, with a closing cost of around 10 MSEK in the first quarter as a result, which is expected to be balanced out during 2015/16.

During the 2015/16 financial year, Clas Ohlson plans to establish a total of 10-15 new stores. The total number of future store establishments under contract is 14. Clas Ohlson currently offers online shopping in all its markets and has a total of 198 stores, of which 80 are situated in Sweden, 73 in Norway, 32 in Finland, 12 in the UK and a franchise store in Dubai.

Source : Clas Ohlson press release
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