Making Memories to Cherish
Born fifteen years ago as a children’s collection within the Swedish fashion chain Kappahl, Newbie has since grown into a lifestyle brand and operates as an independent business unit in the Kappahl Group. Here, RLI sits down with Thomas Kusoffsky, Vice President of Newbie to discuss a company where beauty is more than what meets the eye.
A sustainable lifestyle brand that is positioned within the affordable premium segment, Newbie offers a timeless and nostalgic style for the little ones in your lives and those who care for them.
They believe that every time a Newbie garment is worn by a child, tender memories spring to life, memories you want to save like treasures for generations to come. At its heart, the company exists to make the journey of childhood more beautiful, magical and memorable.
Newbie is currently represented across 28 markets online, with physical stores in the five countries of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Poland and the UK.
“We recently launched a local e-commerce site in Germany with very promising results, but our main focus is currently on the UK – primarily the Greater London area. We opened three new stores in the region this past autumn, one in May in Bromley and one in June in Windsor,” explains Thomas Kusoffsky, Vice President of Newbie.
“Our plan is to open four more stores in strategic locations around London during the year. After that we will evaluate the performance of this cluster before deciding on the next step in our UK expansion.”
The ongoing goal of the business is to become a global brand and while Kusoffsky highlights that this does not mean being present in every country in the world, it does mean being available where there is demand and a need for their timeless style and unique offering.
The company strongly believes in an omni-channel experience and their establishment strategy is ‘online first’, meaning they always begin life in a new country by launching online. The primary focus thereafter is to increase brand awareness, which can be done in many different ways. For example, with every physical store they have opened, they have seen a boost in their online sales, offering a clear indication that a physical presence plays a key role in building the company – especially in major cities.
As the business continues to grow, maintaining consistency across its company-wide operations is paramount. The compass within the Newbie organisation, whatever a person’s role within it, is their brand platform.
“Pivotal components of this platform are our purpose, customer promise and identity. It is important to us that everyone working with Newbie knows our story and what we stand for. This, in turn, ensures that our customer promise is genuinely upheld, no matter where you encounter us,” highlights Kusoffsky.
With their emphasis on an omni-channel approach, social media is an extremely important medium for Newbie – both historically and currently. One of the main target groups is parents, especially mothers having their first child. Therefore it is essential for them to engage with their audience in the right communities and relevant contexts.
The Vice President continues on this topic by saying that retail is undergoing a radical transformation. The blend of e-commerce, social media and influencers, along with emerging technologies like AI and automation is not only changing how consumers shop, but also how retailers operate. He feels it is important that they embrace agility, data and customer-centric innovation to take the lead in this new retail era.
At the very core of Newbie is a dedication to timeless designs crafted with care and sustainability in mind. They strive to ensure both quality and environmental responsibility, making every piece in certified materials. Their PreLoved initiative allows customers to trade in outgrown Newbie children’s wear for store credit, extending the life of garments. The response to this has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing the enduring love for the brand and the long-lasting quality of its products.
An additional initiative which the company is proud of is working with Rescued Fabrics. Traditionally, design comes first and material selection follows. With Rescued Fabrics, they reverse this process – starting with Newbie surplus materials available at their suppliers and designing garments to utilise them. This approach significantly reduces waste, ensuring that high-quality fabrics find new life instead of being discarded. Through timeless design, responsible materials and conscious choices, they continue building a future where fashion is cherished, passed down and loved for generations to come.
In a saturated and competitive market, such as childrenswear, Kusoffsky feels brand loyalty is earned through relevance, value and trust, while new customer acquisition demands visibility, clarity and appeal. “I think the winning formula blends data intelligence with emotional intelligence, delivering both personalised experiences and broader brand narratives that resonate in a crowded market. We see ourselves as a lifestyle brand, which means that we need to do something for our target audience and make them feel a certain way.”
Over the last fifteen years, the business has built a strong corporate culture, assembled on value-driven leadership at all levels, where every employee is free to be themselves. The brand’s core values have been maintained through international expansion and it is these reasons why, according to Kusoffsky, Newbie has seen success during its lifetime.
As he looks to the future, the Vice President feels a major challenge for the company is the impact of the low-price trend. If Newbie are to achieve sustainable and profitable growth, they must compete on factors other than price. They are guided by their overarching group purpose – to create a responsible fashion world – and they have a serious sustainability agenda and must act differently.
“The current uncertainty caused by the global situation and the economic climate, along with households’ pessimistic outlook on their finances and purchasing power, affects all of us right now. Looking further ahead, the transition to a sustainable fashion industry is another key challenge – one that will require significant collaboration among us players in the field.”
