Superdry to open in Dundrum

Superdry, a British international branded clothing company, is to open a new flagship store at Dundrum Town Centre.

The retailer is noted for having a strong celebrity following and has 85 stores in the UK as well as outlets on the Continent, the USA, Australia, South America and Asia. It also has a store at Suffolk Street in Dublin city.

Superdry plans to open in Dundrum in late October or early November after it fits out its new 789sq m (8,500sq ft) unit on the second floor. It will be paying a base rent of €700,000 as well as 8 per cent of the turnover. Darren Peavoy of letting agent Bannon said they had been working with Superdry for some time to find the right location and the right configuration in Dundrum.

The shop will be directly opposite Hollister, an offshoot of Abercrombie & Fitch which has been a runaway success among young shoppers.

Superdry fashion products are also aimed at young shoppers, combining vintage Americana styling with Japanese inspired graphics.

Superdry is owned by the SuperGroup plc which floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2010. The business was established by Julian Dunkerton as "Cult Clothing" in Cheltenham in 1985.

Beckham effect
It initially concentrated on the university cities and opened its first Superdry store in Covent Garden in London in 2004. It does not have store sales or actively pursues celebrity endorsement but a "Brad" leather jacket worn by soccer star David Beckham sold 70,000 from 2007 to mid-2009, becoming a best seller for the company.

Dunkerton said that as Dundrum was now a major retail destination with many of the top fashion brands it was an ideal location to bring the Superdry brand to life.

Dundrum centre director Don Nugent said discussions were at an advanced stage with a number of other top retailers looking to open businesses in Dundrum.