Rituals will be opening 25 stores next year and 10 new stores before the end of 2023 as it targets rapid expansion in the UK and Ireland, Retail Week can reveal.
The beauty and lifestyle brand made its debut in the UK in 2007 and presently has 68 stores in the UK and Ireland region, with its latest and largest store opening on Oxford Street in London last week.
The 10 new stores Rituals is opening before the end of this year include locations in East Midlands Designer Outlet, Watford in Hertfordshire, Ashford Designer Outlet in Kent, Belfast and Birmingham Merry Hill.
Speaking to Retail Week about store expansions and the importance of having a physical estate, Penny Grivea, managing director for UK and Ireland, said: “We’re seeing tremendous growth. In the UK, we’ve got at the moment 28% like-for-like growth and 25% for Ireland. Our visitor numbers are up by double-digit growth and we strongly believe that people want to have that experience.
“They want to come into an environment where they feel welcome, where they feel special, where they feel taken care of. We’re not a self-select brand. So when you give customers that experience and you really connect from the heart with them, it gets them to come back.”
The retailer is also gearing up to bring on between 450 to 500 extra staff as part of its festive recruitment drive during the golden quarter.
Grivea said: “Planning is everything. If you do the right planning, you equip your team and you train them, and everyone knows what they’re doing, then as long as the visitors are good, you’re bound to have a great Christmas.
“We are very positive about this Christmas, as we are about every Christmas, and it is looking great so far.”
No comments yet