Desigual closes down Regent Street flagship

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Mar 10, 2022

Spanish fashion brand ​ has closed its London flagship store on Regent Street, bringing an end to its association with one of the UK capital’s prime retail locations.

The brand will still operate six other retail locations across the UK, including another London store within the Westfield mall. 

The now-vacant 218 Regent Street location will be a prime target destination for other global brands with owner Crown Estates having successfully overseen a rebirth of the street, attracting a host of prime names over the last few years. The street has seen a resurgence post-pandemic with some of the worlds biggest names opening there in recent months.

No reason has been officially given for the Catalan fashion retailer quitting central London although the label, renowned for its colourful patterned clothing, was hit particularly hard by the pandemic. In an interview last year with Fashion Network, it admitted it “had never before experienced a year as dark as 2020”. That came after having already seen its business declining since 2015.

Last year, Desigual said it was putting extra effort into its omnichannel capabilities after online sales posted an average annual growth rate of 50% in 2020, with peaks of up to 70%. It began expanding e-tail operations to 108 new markets and integrate its franchised stores into its e-tail channel, in those markets where it already has a presence.

Desigual is present in 89 countries through 10 sales channels including 438 standalone stores.