Exclusive: Seasalt to open first store in New Zealand as part of international expansion

The move is an extension of its partnership with New Zealand based department store Ballantynes, which will become the exclusive distributor for Seasalt across the region. 

The partnership will result in a number of new Seasalt branded store openings, in addition to the Milford Centre store, but further locations are yet to be confirmed.

The opening marks Seasalt’s first standalone store with a franchise partner outside of Europe.

Seasalt first partnered with Ballantynes in 2014 and has since sold through concessions in Ballantynes in Christchurch and Timaru.

Ballantynes will continue to sell Seasalt products both in its stores and online over the coming years in addition to the standalone stores.

Seasalt chief executive Paul Hayes said: “We are very excited about this next stage of growth for Seasalt in New Zealand. We’ve had an incredible response from customers in the country to date, who love the Seasalt story, alongside the creativity and quality in our product.

“In Ballantynes, we have developed a strong partnership – it shares our vision and values and brings essential local market expertise. We are confident this deal will build on our existing foundation in the market, accelerate our growth and cements our commitment to invest in high streets across the world.”

Ballantynes chief executive Maria O’Halloran said: “We are very proud of the relationships that we forge with international suppliers. Our team appreciates how much they entrust us with their brands and we work hard to nurture them in the New Zealand market.

“Seasalt is an example of this. We are thrilled with the Milford store – it looks fabulous, we know the product will be well received and our Ballantynes team of staff are enjoying getting to know their new customers.

“The response has been very positive and we are already excited about our next Seasalt store.”