Major UK kitchenware retailer, Lakeland, will partner with The Good Guys as part of its expansion into the $2.3 billion Australian kitchenware market later this year.
The whitegoods retailer will be responsible for managing Lakeland’s Australian operations with stand-alone Lakeland stores scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2017. The partnership will begin with Lakeland stores-within-stores at the Good Guys, starting in 12 locations in 2016 with plans to expand nationally over the next 2 years.
“Lakeland is an incredibly loved brand in the UK and it won’t take long for Australian consumers to discover why,” said Michael Ford, CEO, The Good Guys. “When you combine the product quality with the price and their customer service I think they bring something new and very special to the Australian market.”
Ford said the partnership forms part of the retailer’s growth strategy and sharpened their kitchenwares offering.
“We have been refining our kitchenware product range over the past nine months and the addition of Lakeland will provide us with a unique solution for kitchenware that puts us well ahead of our competitors,” he said.
The Lakeland range has over 4000 products from quality kitchen utensils and storage containers to vegetable spiralizers and anti-gravity pouring cake kits. The company is renowned for finding innovative products that make life easier for customers and then putting them through a rigorous selection and testing process to ensure they meet the brands high standards.
Lakeland was founded in the early 1960s in Windermere in the UK’s Lake District by Alan Rayner. The family-owned business has grown and now operates across the UK, India and the Middle East.
“Our innovative, quality kitchenware ranges align perfectly with Australia’s foodie culture and passion for cooking so we’re confident that our products will prove very popular with Australian consumers,” said Lakeland’s managing director, Sam Rayner, who believes there is tremendous opportunity for the Lakeland brand in Australia.
Marketing and international development director, Tony Preedy the UK retailer is “very selective with the markets we choose to enter and Australia’s no different.”
“We’re delighted to make Lakeland’s products available to Australian consumers and are extremely pleased to have selected iconic Australian retailer, The Good Guys, as our local partner,” he said
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