The physical expansion takes place at a time when the entire Kicks Group is undergoing a fundamental restructuring. Since the beginning of the year, a merger has been underway where Matas Sverige AB and Skincity Sweden AB are merging into the parent company Kicks Group AB. This means that the e-commerce platform Skincity will cease to exist as a separate entity and instead move under the Kicks brand. According to the company, the move is about creating a more agile organization without administrative boundaries.
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However, the path forward has not been without obstacles. During the last quarter of last year, turnover fell by 3.8 percent. The reason lies in the fact that consumers are looking for goods with lower price tags, which has hit the more expensive brands, especially during campaign-intensive periods such as the Christmas shopping season. In response to this, the chain has seen an increase in its own brands.
To meet customers' changing wallets, the company has added more brands to its shelves, while also launching an app that aims to connect e-commerce with the 235 physical stores around Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Larger Spaces and Updated Concept
In the midst of this transformation, Kicks is increasing the pace in the physical space. At the end of May, the doors will open to a so-called statement store on Drottninggatan in Stockholm, and already in October the next project awaits. Then the chain will take over a premises of approximately 500 square meters in Westfield Mall of Scandinavia.
By rebuilding and expanding the already existing space, the company creates an arena for a wider range and more space for advice.
CEO Carola Lundell explains that the choice of location is planned in detail and follows the company's overall strategy to establish itself on streets and in shopping centers where customers are already located:
With our statement stores, we want to manifest the complete beauty experience in store and at the same time increase the breadth of our offering. The establishment in Mall of Scandinavia is also a natural step in our strategy to grow in the most attractive trading locations, she says.
Focus Directed Towards Neighboring Countries
It is not only in the Swedish capital that the shop windows are changing shape. Several new openings are planned around the Nordic region during the autumn. In September, the company will open a 300 square meter store in the Triangeln shopping center in Malmö, where the focus is on meeting local needs with an updated format.
In parallel, a move is being carried out in Finland, where the store will take place in a new 300 square meter premises in the Mall of Tripla shopping center in Helsinki. Plans are also progressing in Norway, where the establishment in Aker Brygge recently started and more stores are on the agenda before the end of the year.