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Geek Retreat ‘on track’ to open 60 new stores by end of 2021

Geek Retreat ‘on track’ to open 60 new stores by end of 2021

On this episode of Talking Shop, we're joined by Dan Cate, CEO and Founder of SoldThrough. Dan is a heavyweight retail executive who has spent decades steering the merchandising and digital operations of America’s most iconic retail institutions, from Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s to Century 21 and Lord & Taylor. Today, through his platform SoldThrough, Dan helps international fashion brands cross the Atlantic and crack the notoriously brutal U.S. retail landscape. We break down his journey from the shop floor to the C-suite, the operational indicators that prove a brand is truly ready for international expansion, and how to navigate a fragmented American market without destroying your margins. We also discuss how to balance localised inventory with central efficiency, and the one non-negotiable metric that tells you a product has found genuine market fit.

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Geek Retreat has revealed that it is on track to open 60 of its planned 100 new stores on high streets by the end of 2021, creating 360 jobs around the UK.

The franchise, which opened its first store in Glasgow in 2013, now has 27 stores, with the latest opening in Truro, Cornwall.

The retailer has stores in town and city-centres such as Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, the Wirral, Northampton, Chelmsford and London, which stock “geek culture merchandise” like comics, posters, clothing, figures and memorabilia as well as games and trading cards.

Furthermore, new stores are due to open in a number of locations around the UK, including Blackburn, Hereford, Exeter, Lincoln, Ipswich, Bedford and Exeter, in the next couple of months.

To support the growth of the business, the retailer has also announced a series of new hires, including four franchise development managers who will support the expanding geographical footprint of the brand.

A further 25 employees will also join the head office team in new roles such as new store openings managers, event and gaming specialist and head of digital and e-commerce.

Peter Dobson, chief executive of Geek Retreat, said: “We are pressing ahead with our expansion plans and are on track to meet our target for new stores.

“Despite the impact the pandemic has had on the high street more generally, the Geek Retreat proposition and unique culture has proved particularly resilient and has shown us how important it is for people to have a safe place to visit and to share their interests with friends as part of a community.”

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