Newbie takes first steps out of London with centre:mk opening

Joint owners of centre:mk, Hermes Investment Management and AustralianSuper, have announced that Swedish lifestyle brand for children, Newbie, has opened its first permanent store outside of London with the centre, whilst also selecting centre:mk for the first stop of its successful pop-up, Newbie on Tour. The opening also coincides with the return of centre:mk’s beach activation for the tenth year in a row.

The brand’s centre:mk store is one of two standalone locations outside of London, and the signing of the brand prompted Newbie’s successful commercialisation pop-up at centre:mk last month – Newbie on Tour.  The pop-up was part of a countrywide tour to stretch Newbie’s reach across the UK.

Due to the popularity of the pop-up, Newbie on Tour returned to the centre for a summer residency at The Beach in Middleton Hall. The centre has hosted the UK’s largest ‘beach’ within an indoor shopping destination. This year’s summer activation achieved a 5% increase in footfall year-on-year from featuring a whole host of attractions including Punch and Judy shows, bungees, train rides, and an indoor rollercoaster.

Ed Sellick, Asset Manager, Hermes Investment Management, on behalf of centre:mk joint owners, commented: “Newbie’s sustainable collection adds great value to the centre’s growing line-up of childrenswear, and appeals to shoppers that follow brands’ ethical behaviours – identified as ‘Hero Hunters’ within our Future Shopper report. At centre:mk we recognise that consumers are becoming more conscious of what they are buying and are choosing brands that they want to be identified with. Welcoming Newbie to the centre responds to our customer’s buying behaviour and in turn Newbie’s choice of centre:mk for both their regional debut and first tour location highlights that this destination is the place to be to engage with conscientious consumers. We are committed to installing interactive ways to engage with our retailers and visitors, as evidenced by Newbie’s pop-up presence at centre:mk’s beach.”

Camilla Wernlund, International Expansion Manager, Newbie added: “Newbie continues to grow within the UK, with centre:mk being the first store outside of London and being the ideal destination for our next step. We were delighted with the response from Milton Keynes customers when we brought Newbie on Tour to the centre and we are thrilled to be continuing our relationship with the team for both our permanent store and returning pop-up and being able to move closer to our Newbie lovers in Milton Keynes.”

Part of the KappAhl Group, Newbie was born in 2010 and has quickly expanded across Europe. Today Newbie has 22 stores and online sales in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland and the UK. Priding themselves on their timeless design with a modern twist, the brand is one of the fastest-growing sustainable childrenswear brands on the market.

This news follows the recent signing of Skechers, alongside several latest openings at centre:mk including Typo, Trailfinders, Lovisa, Morano’s and Snappy Snaps.