International beckons

124 Shoes first opened in 2012 with a boutique on Russell Pl, the second 124 Shoes store opened earlier this year at Emporium.

It is now searching for a location in Sydney, ahead of plans to open an outlet overseas, either in New York, Singapore, or Dubai.

Neville Colaianni, director at 124 Shoes, says that although the brand is still doing its homework for the Sydney market, it has pinpointed the CBD, Bondi, and Chatswood as likely locations for its debut, and has a target of four stores in Australia.

He told Inside Retail PREMIUM the brand’s goal has always been to have a store overseas, which is now in the initial stages of discussion.

Since first opening two and a half years ago, 124 Shoes has increased its women’s offering from 20 per cent to around 40 per cent of total stock.

“We’d love a bigger scale of shop, but as retailers all know, retail in Australia is expensive.

“We’ll probably sit at 60/40 [men’s and women’s] but there’s always potential for 124 Shoes.”

The brand has not ruled out standalone concepts for men’s and women’s as part of its expansion strategy.

“We’re not just solely a men’s and women’s store, it doesn’t have to be combined. We might see areas where we think a women’s store would work better than a men’s store or vice versa.”