Forever New grows US presence

Australian womenswear brand Forever New has launched a standalone e-commerce site in the US, catering to increased demand from local customers with around 50 new products dropping online every week.

The website marks an expansion of the brand’s presence in the US, where it currently sells through Nordstrom.com, as well as through concessions in Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus.

“We are excited to be expanding in North America and a branded US website was the next step on our journey,” Carolyn Mackenzie, Forever New’s managing director, said in a statement.

“We have had a lot of demand for our product in the US so we are happy to give our US customers one more way to shop with us.”

Launching on Thursday, the US website features a range of styles currently available in North America, with about 50 new items being added to the site each month. It is branded under Forever New’s North American trading name, Ever New.

This is just the latest step in the Forever New’s global digital expansion, which sees the brand selling on Asos and Next in the UK, Zalora in Singapore and Zalando in Europe, and through its own recently relaunched global e-commerce site.

At the same time, Forever New continues to expand its global bricks-and-mortar presence. The fashion brand has more than 200 stores in Canada, Singapore, China, India, South Africa and New Zealand, and concessions in the US, Singapore and the Middle East. and plans to open a new store in November in Vancouver, Canada.

According to a story in the AFR in June, revenue from overseas operations accounted for 40 per cent of Forever New’s sales of around $300 million in 2018.

Mackenzie previously told Inside Retail that standalone stores in the US are not out of the question.

“[B]eing an agile and fast-moving business means there is always the possibility…” she said.

Broader transformation underway

The ramp-up overseas is just part of the multi-faceted transformation currently underway at Forever New.

Already this year, the retailer has unveiled two first-to-market digital initiatives – a reserve-in-store option and visually-similar product recommendation tool – and launched a “connected change room” pilot in its store in Highpoint Shopping Centre.

The retailer has also rolled out a plus-size range called Forever New Curve and a new high-end store concept designed by Hecker Guthrie, featuring terrazzo tiled floors, brushed brass detailing and fluted glass panels.