Barbour targets ladies with standalone launch

Barbour, favoured brand of the green welly brigade, is to open its first standalone ladieswear store in an effort to attract more women shoppers.

The shop, off the King's Road in Chelsea, will open this summer in time for the autumn/winter collection.

At present, the site is an own-managed Barbour store, but is being split into two interconnecting sections, one dedicated entirely to ladieswear.

Once completed the store will have two entrances.

The first concession dedicated to womenswear opened in London's Harrods last year.

'The Barbour offer has been seen as a unisex range, but we are putting a focus on ladieswear,' said Barbour national sales and marketing director Ian Beattie.

He said that although women shop at Barbour, it was often to buy products for their husbands and partners and there was little designed specifically for them.

'We are looking at developing ladieswear further. It is largely out of the success of our functional equestrian clothing for women,' he said.

The design team, under Barbour head of design Gary Newbold, has been bolstered to four. The women's range, which accounts for 25 per cent of the entire Barbour offer by volume, includes tailored jackets, knitwear, shirts and bags.

Beattie would not say whether more womenswear standalones would open, but Barbour has said it is developing its presence worldwide.

The retailer has 11 shops, and opened eight last year.

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