Paperchase pens shop-in-shop pilot with fashion retailer Next

Paperchase, which currently has concessions in Selfridges, Fenwick and House of Fraser stores, has taken space within Next’s new 50,000 sq ft store in Straiton Retail Park, in Scotland. The shop opened on Monday.

The retailer’s chief executive Timothy Melgund described Next as a “very good brand fit” for Paperchase. 

He told Retail Week: “There is undoubtedly a crossover in our customers and so this test makes perfect sense for everyone.”

Melgund added that he has “high hopes” for the partnership with Next and has hinted at the possibility of more concessions in the future.

“We’re watching closely how things progress,” Melgund said, adding that the initial customer reaction in Straiton has been “incredibly positive”.

In addition to the Next concession, Paperchase opened standalone stores in Crawley, Clapham and London’s Soho in the last two weeks.

Speaking to Retail Week earlier this week at the 2,000 sq ft Soho store, Melgund also reinforced the retailer’s ambitions to open stand-alone shops in the US.

Although Paperchase products are currently sold in the US through its wholesale agreements with Target and Staples, Melgund said: “We’re still looking to test the concept in a stand-alone format in the States.”

Paperchase previously had 330 concessions in North American Borders stores before the books retailer collapsed in 2009. 

Melgund added: “There’s long been a desire to go back in and trade under our own name and I hope that will happen sooner rather than later.”

Paperchase currently has 160 stores and concessions in the UK, plus operations in Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Canada and the Middle East.