Jack Wills’ Asian foray

British premium youth clothing brand Jack Wills is set to make its Asian debut with two flagship stores in Hong Kong next month.

Jack Wills will open stores in Causeway Bay shopping district and the Harbour City Complex. Co-founders Rob Shaw and Peter Williams hopes that the foray in Hong Kong will serve as an entry point for expansion in mainland China and other Asian countries like Japan.

“This marks our transition from a largely domestic business to an international one,” said CEO Peter Williams.

The company said it has no plans for an IPO to support future expansion.

“We are not targeting a UK listing. The business has grown organically, and over the next three years we expect to develop the international business organically,” said Williams.

Jack Wills has 50 stores in the UK and 11 in the US. It will also enter the Middle East next year when it opens its first store in Kuwait through a partnership with Middle East retail company Alshaya.

“One of the reasons we are looking to grow the business internationally is because we are hyper aware of the dangers of overexposure in the UK,” Williams said.

Jack Wills products are styled preppy reflecting eccentric British style mainly aimed for university outfitters.

GB

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