Shop Direct set to shake up luxury sector with VeryExclusive.co.uk

Shop Direct, the UK’s leading multi-brand digital retailer, has today launched new brand VeryExclusive.co.uk, which is set to shake up the luxury sector.

VeryExclusive.co.uk, headed by sector expert and British Fashion Council patron Sarah Curran MBE, aims to make luxury fashion and beauty accessible to more people.

The website stocks over 150 accessible and high street luxury brands, smashing the retailer’s original target of attracting 100 must-have labels for launch. A further 30 are already signed up for the autumn winter 2015 season, including Whistles and Paul Smith.

Marc by Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Red Valentino, Reiss, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, Stila, Nars, Barbour, Joseph and Karen Millen are among the brands today making their debut on VeryExclusive.co.uk, which also features magazine-style editorial, offering style advice and beauty tips.

Customers will be able to draw on Shop Direct’s credit offer, including ‘Take 3’, which allows shoppers to spread the cost of their purchases across three monthly, interest-free payments. The brand also offers an account with a representative APR of 18.9%.

Shop Direct group chief executive, Alex Baldock, said: “VeryExclusive.co.uk will give the luxury market a much-needed shake up. We’re bringing luxury within reach of many who crave a Karl Lagerfeld jacket or a Vivienne Westwood handbag but feel it’s out of reach.

“We’re making luxury attainable, both financially and emotionally. Luxury fashion doesn’t have to be confined to the streets of Mayfair – girls up and down the country want to wear designer labels.

“There’s a big potential audience out there for VeryExclusive.co.uk and we’ll not rest until we’ve brought it to all of them.”

Shop Direct has identified 3.8 million target VeryExclusive.co.uk customers, a large proportion of whom already shop with its flagship mainstream brand, Very.co.uk.

Gareth Jones, deputy chief executive who oversees VeryExclusive.co.uk, said: “We already see growing demand for luxury and premium brands through searches on Very.co.uk and from talking to our customers.

“Shop Direct has a long history of developing successful brands from scratch, most recently Very.co.uk, now a £800m brand and the growth engine of our business.

“I’m sure VeryExclusive.co.uk will follow in its footsteps. We have the most-wanted accessible luxury brands, our market-leading ecommerce expertise will make the customer experience seamless and increasingly personalised, and our credit offer will allow shoppers to spread the cost of their buys.”

Sarah Curran MBE, managing director of VeryExclusive.co.uk, added: “It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, VeryExclusive.co.uk was a mere idea we were bouncing around and now we’re live with a brand that’s going to democratise luxury fashion and beauty.

“I remember jotting down my wish list of accessible luxury brands – the fact that they’ve all embraced us like they have is testament to the strength of our proposition and the style and aesthetic our team has developed.

“There’s a real excitement about VeryExclusive.co.uk. For shoppers, we’re offering a fun, fresh and accessible taste of luxury and, for brands, we’re opening up a whole new customer base that has until now felt alienated by the sector. Watch this space!”

ENDS

For more information, please contact: gemma.goldfingle@shopdirect.com / 07795 811742

ABOUT SHOP DIRECT

Shop Direct is the UK’s fourth largest online retailer, with annual sales of more than £1.7 billion. Our digital department store brands include Very.co.uk, which is now a £800 million brand.

We exist to make good things easily accessible to more people. With our department store range, market-leading ecommerce and technology capabilities and unique financial services offer, we’re well placed to deliver on that promise.

We sell over 1,000 famous brands, including big name labels and our own exclusive brands, and deliver 48 million products to our four million customers every year. Our click and collect service, Collect+, delivers to more than 5,500 stores across the country, increasing ease and convenience for customers.

For more information on Shop Direct, visit www.shopdirect.com or follow us on Twitter at @ShopDirect.

For more information on Very Exclusive, follow the brand on Twitter at @VeryExclusiveUK and Instagram at @VeryExclusiveUK.