Vans boosts its footprint in UK

THE boss of the company behind footwear brands Vans and Timberland has said the UK will still be central to its strategy after Brexit.

Martino Scabbia Guerrini, group president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at VF Corporation, revealed the company’s recent signing of two new shops in the capital showed “a lot of commitment to London and the UK in a time when there are questions around that”.

“In this case we are sticking to our longterm strategy and the UK’s a really important market,” he said.

VF, which owns a host of brands including The North Face, Eastpak and Kipling, said last month it would be opening a new flagship Vans store at the former Miss Selfridge in Oxford Street.

A few weeks later it was revealed the group had secured a site in London’s Carnaby Street for aTimberland store.

Despite the challenges facing the UK retail sector and the uncertainty posed by Brexit, Mr Scabbia Guerrini said the company’s plans for its UK operations would help it to weather the storm.

“To a certain extent there’s a little bit of an overlap in our work to invest into the marketplace, to improve the customer experience and the preparation for various Brexit outcomes.”

He added there is scope for more shop openings around the UK and emphasised VF’s confidence in the future of bricks-and-mortar locations, which can co-exist with online shopping.

But he said physical retailers need to keep up with the times to survive.

Commenting on the high number of UK high street shops struggling in the current climate, he said: “They were not open and somehow bold enough to address change early on.”