The new design, tested at its Oxford Street branch, places greater emphasis on casualwear in an effort to show customers it is not simply a purveyor of suits.
Group trading director Ciaran McCloskey, who was this week appointed to the board of the retailer following a reshuffle, said casualwear sales account for 15 to 20 per cent of total sales, but added: “I can see this getting to more than 20 per cent.”
The retailer has placed casualwear at the front of the store and suit hire in the basement. It is also reviving Blazer, which operated standalone stores in the 1980s before it was acquired by Moss Bros, as a casualwear brand.
The new design will be introduced at a store in Bolton later this year and to a further 30 stores in 2009. The revamp of the entire 120-store portfolio will be completed by 2010. McCloskey said the refurbished Oxford Street store has experienced a 20 per cent sales increase in the past six months and its hire department has had a 37 per cent lift.
The Oxford Street branch trades from 6,800 sq ft over two floors. The new look was created in-house and the next tranche of stores to receive a makeover will include Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Norwich.
Separately, Speciality Retail Group founder Brian Brick has been appointed as non-executive director at Moss Bros. Non-executive directors Robert Marsh and Rowland Gee have stepped down. The retailer has appointed Altium Capital as its corporate broker.
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