Reiss ramps up overseas plans with new head of international

Francesca Chippindale has joined as head of business development from Dubai-based retail company Landmark Group and will be responsible for finding new territories for the fashion retailer to expand into, and buy products for new countries. She joined late last month and reports to founder David Reiss.

At Landmark Group, Chippindale was also head of business development. Landmark has a regional franchise deal with Reiss, and Chippindale worked on the retailer’s account as well as Turkish womenswear and menswear brand Koton and occasionwear and accessories brand Aftershock.

Reiss brand director Andy Rogers said: “We needed somebody to make our plans happen. Now we have somebody who can structure the business [overseas] and see how Reiss can work in new territories.”

He added: “Francesca will also say which products will work in each market.”

According to Retail Week Knowledge Bank, Reiss has 63 shops in the UK, and embarked on its international expansion in 2005 with a store opening in New York. It started its international franchising operation the same year, with its first shop in Dubai.

Reiss now has 33 overseas shops - including its Moscow store that opened this week, marking the retailer’s first move into Russia. It plans to open a further five stores in the country within the next year.

Rogers said in July that the retailer wanted to ramp up its international operation and move into new markets such as France, Germany and the Netherlands. He also said it wanted to increase its 10-store portfolio in the Middle East with Beirut cited as a potential new market.