The value-focused fashion and lifestyle brand will open at the end of August, while a Lakeside, Essex store is set to open its doors in October and a Metrocentre, Gateshead store will debut in November in time for the Christmas season.
Inditex is investing heavily in the brand, which began as a Zara sister label but is now a standalone budget brand competing with such big-hitters as Primark. Its openings are a big deal for the Spanish fashion retail giant. At Metrocenre, for instance, it will be an anchor for the mall’s fashion offer in a very prominent position.
The stores will feature a tech-heavy support system with such features as advanced self-checkouts and robot sorting.
There are currently 215 Lefties stores in 19 countries and the UK debut will become the brand’s 20th market. In May it opened its very first French store inside the Valvert retail park at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, south of Paris. Germany and the Netherlands are also seen as key growth markets for the brand.
As for the UK, aside from the stores already announced, there has been talk of Oxford Street and Westfield openings in London, although these haven’t been confirmed so far.
