Frasers Group plans major opening at regional retail park, Flannels included

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Aug 5, 2020

Frasers Group’s executives may have been talking about potential store closures in recent periods, but the company is also planning openings and has announced its first regional store since the pandemic began. It will debut at a Leicester retail park next year.

The Fosse Park multi-label concept store will be a 90,000 sq ft “sports and lifestyle destination” that will include a basket of the firm’s retail brands covering a wide price range.

Designer label fashion retailer Flannels will be part of the mix with a large space at the site. The Sports Direct retail brand, which already has a store at Fosse Park, is also included and will feature sections for Frasers’ streetwear label USC, the firm’s Evans bike brand and its video games retailer Game via an esports area, The Times reported.

The development could create as many as 2,000 jobs and comes with a 15-year lease.

The inclusion of Flannels is part of Fraser’s 'elevation strategy’ and is an interesting move given the location. While Fosse Park has more fashion and beauty than many retail parks, its price level is generally mass-to-mid-market.

Retailers currently at the location apart from Sports Direct include its rival JD Sports, as well as JD’s Footasylum chain. Also present are M&S, Next, Boots, Pandora, River Island, Clarks, New Look, Outfit, Superdrug and Primark.

Frasers’ interim results are due next week and are likely to be poor given the lockdown that saw its shops shut for months on end. But the numbers could also come with more bad news about store closures with House of Fraser seen as the most likely candidate for further permanent branch shutdowns.