Knomo to open London flagship, expand in US

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 28, 2016

British bag maker Knomo is expanding in the US and UK and has secured a £3m investment through private equity firm Rockpool, as well as signing deals with US retail giants Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Anthropologie.

The new partnerships are expected to boost the company’s international business with US sales predicted to rise by more than 45% in the next six months.

The premium-to-high-end company currently sells in concessions inside department stores including Harrods and John Lewis and will also launch in Selfridges’ technology department later this year.

And it is on the verge of a deal to open its first standalone store in London Covent Garden with three more London locations due to open by 2019.

The Covent Garden store will be the brand’s flagship and will also act as a community working space for those who work on-the-go to reflect Knomo’s targeting of “digital nomad” customers, it said this week.

As it prepares for major expansion, the company has strengthened its senior management team with Fred Edwards joining as COO (from Hummus Bros and OneCall24) and Simon Wilkinson as digital director (from Dr Martens and Charles Tyrwhitt). Their aim is to focus on the customer experience and build e-commerce for the brand.