Exclusive: Space NK to open first Welsh store as it goes on expansion trail

The opening in Cardiff comes as the retailer seeks to extend its portfolio more widely. 

Chief executive Andy Lightfoot told Retail Week: “Whenever we do customer surveys to say where should we open a store, Cardiff always comes number one on the list. It’s the most in-demand location for us to open a store and we are looking forward to it.”

The new branch will be Space NK’s 74th in the UK and the latest of its new format stores with bigger experiential spaces that are more customer-centric and are designed to be more welcoming.

The beauty retailer will also be expanding its best-performing store on Duke of York Square in London. 

Lightfoot said: “We’re taking the unit next door to us, knocking the wall down, doubling the size of the store on Duke of York Square. Throughout the rest of the year, we are looking at more of these sites. It’s a big focus for us to continue to expand on these new-format stores and potential expansion opportunities as well for our best-performing existing stores.

“We’re very actively looking for more store locations in the UK, as a continuation of the things that we’re doing from our omnichannel point of view as well as growing our traffic and appealing to new groups of customers.”

Space NK will be debuting a store in Liverpool at Liverpool One shopping centre in June.

The business has expanded its estate with new shops in Battersea Power Station and Edinburgh as well as developing its Westfield London store to be its largest.