Furniture and homewares retailer The Pier is to make its Irish debut with a department store concession.
Managing director Alison Richards said The Pier would open a 3,000 sq ft (280 sq m) concession in the Dublin outlet of 11-strong department store group Roches, which is being renovated.
'The Homebase trial has told us we have a concessionable format,' said Richards.
In recent years, The Pier's profitability has been curtailed by its complex supply chain - it sources direct from 40 countries - but in the year to March 1 the retailer turned a£1.2 million loss into an operating profit of£684,000 on sales of£34.8 million.
Richards said warehousing and distribution operations had relocated to a 101,000 sq ft (9,385 sq m) facility, and the increased capacity meant it could 'progress to the next phase in the expansion plans'. A recent property review revealed scope to quadruple the size of the 23-store chain.
'We have had the (demand model) updated and it suggests we could have 100 potential locations for The Pier,' said Richards. 'But it is a question of becoming profitable so we can expand.'
No comments yet