Anthropologie looks for premises in Madrid and accelerates in Europe to reach 1.5 billion

Anthropologie starts in Spain its offensive strategy in Europe. The company, owned by the US group Urban Outfitters, launched today in Barcelona its first point of sale in the Spanish market, while it looks for locations in Madrid to open a second one in the following months. The company set the objective of conquering the European continent and reaching a business of 1.5 billion dollars in the region.

The opening in the Catalan capital marks the beginning of the group’s new expansion strategy in the European market, where it arrived in 2009. So far, Anthropologie had opened ten points of sale only in the United Kingdom, where it also has offices, and one in Germany, in the city of Dusseldorf.

However, the group set in motion the new international policy under the guidance of Peter Ruis, who took the lead of the global expansion of the company last July. Likewise, apart from the starting activities in Spain, the company is also looking for locations in other European capital cities, such as Milan, Paris or Amsterdam.

Anthropologie plans to open new points of sale in other European capital cities like Madrid, Paris, Milan or Amsterdam

Anthropologie set the objective of equalling in Europe the revenue that it currently generates in the United States and that amounts to 1.5 billion dollars. Spain was the starting point of this new strategy because it is the main foreign market that purchased the most in its stores in London.

As Ruis explained, the upcoming opening in Madrid will be soon, but he emphasized that there is a need to find a space suitable enough. “The retail is undergoing important changes and it is necessary to open in the right place,” explained the manager.

On the other hand, the company will boost the online channel in Spain, where it currently operates through its global platform. However, Anthropologie considers launching a specific e-commerce for the country in Spanish by 2020.

The group opted to start its new expansion strategy in Spain after finding that it is the main foreign customer of its stores in London

For its set up in the Spanish market, Anthropologie is located at Paseo de Gracia 27, in a 1,800-square-meter space distributed over two floors and which, until now, had been occupied by the Italian Twin Set. In addition to commercialising its fashion line, the store also has collections of decoration and household objects.

Anthropologie is the largest concept of the Urban Outfitters group by revenue. The women’s fashion chain closed the fiscal year 2017 with sales valued in 1.47 billion dollars, 1.9% more than in the previous year, taking 39.4% of the total revenue of the company. As of January 31, 2018, the company had 226 stores in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Urban Outfitters has been operating in the Spanish market since May 2014, when it launched a subsidiary to manage its business in the country. That same year, the group opened the first store of its homonymous chain in the El Triangle shopping centre in Barcelona.