MELBOURNE: Ed Hardy’s regional franchisee is preparing to restructure the brand’s national retail operations, as it looks to unveil 40 new stores over the next 18 months.
Melbourne-based entrepreneur Gary Berman – who has franchise rights for the Australian, UK, New Zealand and select Asian markets – has made the decision to close Ed Hardy stores located in Westfield shopping centres.
The brand has 12 stores across the country, including sites along Chapel Street in Melbourne, Oxford Street in Paddington and four concessions in department store Myer.
Berman claimed the brand had “better options” along the High Street when targeting sites in major cities.
“Ed Hardy seems to be a brand that doesn’t fit into the typical shopping centre categories, which include national traders, sporting retailers, high-end fashion and cost-conscious suppliers,” he said. “The Ed Hardy customer is looking for something different, something perhaps that you don’t find in typical malls.”
However, this had not spurred Berman to relocate shopping mall sites located outside of Westfield, which include Rundle Mall in Adelaide and Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast.
Perth, Bondi Beach and suburbs in western Sydney are the target of a 40-store rollout program currently being pioneered by Berman.
“Ed Hardy Australia also has franchise rights in the UK with currently one store there and another three being developed,” he said, adding stores in New Zealand and Malaysia were also currently under development.
In addition to retail expansion, Berman is planning to boost the number of national wholesale accounts from 100 to 200 stores. Department store David Jones and select independent boutiques currently have access to a broad range of Ed Hardy products, including swimwear, footwear, women’s intimates, childrenswear and men’s and women’s clothing ranges.
Berman approached Ed Hardy founder Christian Audigier soon after he launched his first store. A strong business relationship soon saw Berman acquire franchise and wholesale rights for Australia, parts of Asia and the UK. Australian sales currently account for 10 per cent of global transactions.
Assia Benmedjdoub