World’s Largest Megastore Grand Opening Breaks All Sales Records
16th December, 2014
South African customers have once again demonstrated their allegiance to Cotton On, with Saturday’s opening of the world’s largest Cotton On store in Durban smashing Group sales records by 50 per cent for a first day of trade.
Hundreds of waiting shoppers ran through the doors as the store opened, signalling the start of massive day of trade which saw over 5000 customers visit the store to snap up the latest collections from the Cotton On Group’s suite of brands.
Located at Gateway Shopping Centre in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, the new store is the latest in the Group’s expanding fleet in South Africa, where store numbers have grown rapidly since launching in the region just three years ago.
South Africa Country Manager for the Cotton On Group, Johan Van Wyk, says he is thrilled with the weekend’s result.
“It’s exciting to see our biggest ever Cotton On store delivered in a region where we know the brand resonates so strongly. To have such a massive turn out on Saturday, and see our South African shoppers react so positively, reaffirms our determination to continue our long term investment in the region,” Mr Van Wyk says.
Measuring 2,368 square metres, the Gateway store offers collections from across the Cotton On Group’s suite of brands including Cotton On, Cotton On Body, FREE by Cotton On, Cotton On Kids and Rubi Shoes.
The store has been designed to reflect Cotton On’s updated brand look and represents its future direction in store design. Innovative elements feature throughout, including ‘living’ front windows which allow customers to engage directly with the latest product offerings, breaking down the barrier of traditional window displays. The use of brick, timber and concrete lined architecture reflects the heritage of the Cotton On brand.
“The new Gateway store is the evolution of the Cotton On brand and represents the future direction in store design not only in size and scale but our new innovative retail thinking that pushes the boundaries of traditional retail,” says Senior Store Design Manager, Martin Kwaskowski.
“The 2,368 square metre space was designed and built by our own in house teams, which is a very unique proposition for any retailer. This allows us to go on the entire journey from start to finish and this way we get the best results,” adds Kwaskowski.
Since opening its first door in South Africa in 2011, the country has quickly become the Cotton On Group’s fastest growing market. The store footprint in the country now extends to over 100, including the opening of 27 stores in 27 days in the weeks leading up to Christmas last year.
The success of the Cotton On Group’s operations in South Africa makes the broader sub-Sahara African region one of the Group’s most exciting frontiers. With some of the most successful fashion retailers in the region possessing a store count in excess of 1000, the Group remains optimistic about the unlimited opportunities which exist there.