Focus Brands to open two Avirex stores amid UK expansion

UK-based sports and streetwear distributor, Focus Brands, will be opening two stores for the US military apparel brand, Avirex, on 15 September amid the brand’s expansion in the UK. 

The first London site is a pop-up on Soho’s Berwick Street and the second is on Fitzrovia’s Eastcastle Street. The openings will join the current store in Boxpark Shoreditch, which has been trading since the brand’s UK and Europe relaunch in July 2022. 

The 103 sqm Berwick Street store will become Avirex’s largest store, while Eastcastle Street will be smaller at 25 sqm, and will offer a “boutique shopping experience”. 

In partnership with commercial interior design studio, White Room, Focus Brands has developed a new design concept for the retailer’s brick-and-mortar shopping experience, which is “sleek and minimalist with a nod to Avirex’s aviation heritage”. 

Jennie Bianco, head of marketing at Focus Brands, said: “Avirex has had a fantastic first year back in the UK and European markets, and we are thrilled to be in a position 12 months on from launch, that we are able to expand the brand’s physical retail presence.

“The majority of Avirex customers are located in the capital at the moment, and both the Berwick Street and the Eastcastle Street sites are great central London positions, just in time for the new season launch and peak!”

Charlie Haslehurst, creative director of White Room, added: “Our objective was to create a store environment that fully immersed customers in the brand. Avirex is iconic and known for its high-quality materials, craftsmanship and unique style. The intention was to mirror this through the attention to detail in the materials and finishes chosen.”

Focus Brands has held the licence for Avirex in the UK and Europe since March 2022, having relaunched the brand back in the UK and European markets in the July of the same year.