Australian luggage brand July will hit 12 stores in total by the end of 2024, with three retail locations opening before Christmas.
The brand just opened in Chadstone last week, a week after opening the doors to its Rosebery Engine Yards in Sydney. Next week, July will open in the Emporium Melbourne and will wrap up the year with a revised store in Bondi Junction.
Looking ahead, Didaskalou is vying for a store in Perth, a growing location for its national customer base. He expects a store before mid-2025.
“If you'd told me a few years ago we'd be opening three stores in just a few weeks, I'd have thought you were dreaming,” July co-founder and chief strategy officer Athan Didaskalou said. “But here we are.
“Each store has taught us something new about how people want to experience luggage shopping, and honestly, watching these spaces come to life has been one of the highlights of our journey so far.”
Speaking on the Chadstone location, Didaskalou said it wasn’t an overnight win, adding that he and team had definitely annoyed a few people with their persistence.
“What really sealed the deal was showing them how we turn retail into an experience,” he said. “When they saw how our existing stores were becoming these vibrant, design spaces rather than just sales floors, the conversation shifted from 'if' to 'when'.
“We've tried a few different pop up locations at Chadstone in the past year too, so that also gave us more insights on where we wanted our permanent store to be and build that relationship with the letting team over time.”
July began as a pureplay online brand in 2018. A year later, the brand opened its first retail store. Most of the 12 stores are in Sydney, followed by Melbourne, with one store in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane.
The brand is also stocked in 16 locations globally, including at Selfridges in London, six in Singapore, four in Malaysia, three in Hong Kong and two in mainland China.
“While e-commerce is still our bread and butter, our stores are doing something special that you just can't replicate online. They're not just about moving product - they're about creating those connection moments when someone first feels the quality or sees their luggage personalised right in front of them.”