Habitat to Open Two New Stand-alone Stores

Sainsbury’s is investing £1.5 million in two new, stand-alone Habitat stores in the UK, due to open in the Autumn.

Marking the first major investment in the Habitat store porfolio for more than ten years, the new stores will be located in the Westfield shopping centre in London and the new Lanes development in Brighton.

Sainsbury's acquired the Habitat brand, along with the Argos business from Home Retail Group in September 2016 and since then has been launching concessions similar to the one below, inside their grocery supermarkets.

The 4,700 square foot store at Westfield London will be located in the recently extended area, featuring a range of home and furniture brands, designed as a 'Home Hub' for shoppers.

The Brighton store will form part of the Hanningtons Estate redevelopment of the Brighton Lanes shopping area. Over two floors, the 6,500 square foot store will showcase around 3,000 Habitat products and feature room settings and an innovative workshop and events space.

Managing Director of Habitat, Clare Askem, said: “It’s a really exciting time for Habitat as we launch our first major stand-alone stores in ten years. Stores are an important part of our growth strategy as we know that our customers love to be inspired by our furniture and furnishings in immersive store settings, so we’re thrilled that these launches will bring us to key locations in Brighton and Westfield London where we have a lot of Habitat fans.”

Habitat currently has two flagship standalone stores, a 2,000 square foot mini store in Leeds and eleven mini Habitats in Sainsbury’s supermarkets. The business also operates an online store that currently accounts for 65% of its turnover.

Askem added: “As our digital business has grown, there has also been a real desire from customers to see Habitat on the high street. By investing for the future of the brand in this way, as well as continuing to differentiate ourselves with modern, statement design from our in-house Habitat Design Studio, we’re well-placed to continue our heritage of bringing well designed, inventive and affordable products to people’s homes.”

Source: Insight DIY Team

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