Belgian fashion chain ZEB has announced a venture into a new market segment: with ‘Zeb for Stars’ the multi-brand retailer wants to expand into children’s fashion and sees possibilities for up to twenty stores. .
Five year plan
ZEB already took a step in this new direction by acquiring For Stars, a high-end children’s clothing store, in 2017. After the product range was expanded and two new stores turned out to be successful, the chain now wants to expand its children’s range – starting with a fourth store in Ostend next week.
“We want to make ZEB for stars the reference for children’s clothing,” CEO Luc Van Mol says. “We want to expand the chain in the next five years and aim for about twenty stores in that period. We believe we have a unique position in this market, as there is not yet a multi-brand store for children’s clothing.”
Strong growth
As a fashion group, ZEB keeps growing consistently. The eponymous chain will grow by two units to 69 stores this March, and aims for 100 in the next few years. Sibling The Fashion Store currently has nine stores, but has two more locations in the planning and aims to grow to thirty in a longer time frame. A fourth chain, PointCarré, sticks with its current 28 stores and focuses on digital growth.
Last financial year, the ZEB group saw a spectacular turnover growth of 25 % to 209.5 million euros, owing to the acquisition of PointCarré and The Fashion Store. In its current financial year the group homes to lift its turnover another 7 % higher, to 224 million euros.
