Sainsbury's Tu Premium men's debuts, plans Habitat expansion

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 23, 2017

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s is ramping up its non-food expansion strategy at present with the retailer having now launched its new Tu Premium menswear line in-store, getting an Argos jewellery boost from exposure on Britain’s Next Top Model and an seeing an imminent expansion of its Habitat store count.

The company has unveiled higher quality menswear under the Tu Premium label, around a year after it launched the original women’s offer. It has also launched Tu Formal in 250 stores and online with the new offer using fabrics sourced from mills in Yorkshire and Scotland.

The launch makes good sense with the firm already a major player in the UK clothing market and having seen clothing sales rising 4% last year with the menswear category growing fastest at 13%.

Meanwhile, the return of  Britain’s Next Top Model  to TV screens late last week saw a photoshoot being accessorised exclusively using jewellery from the line-up available at Sainsbury’s acquired Argos operation. The show featured its completely new Revere range as well as the Abbey Clancy collection.

And another brand acquired as part of the purchase will see the company opening another four mini Habitat stores by the middle of November as it continues its steady rollout of the format.

It will open Habitat branches in its large supermarkets in Monk’s Cross in York, Cheadle in Manchester, Heaton in Newcastle and Wandsworth in south London, which means its year-end target of 10 stores will be achieved a month early.

The supermarkets giant bought Habitat as part of the £1.4 billion acquisition of Argos parent company Home Retail Group.

It said that the mini Habitat stores are boosting brand awareness and also helping its omnichannel operations with 60% of the brand’s sales now being made online.