Digital sportswear brand TALA has chosen London’s famous Carnaby Street for its first UK flagship store, scheduled for a May opening.
Founded by entrepreneur Grace Beverley and led by CEO Morgan Fowles, the label’s 2,000 sq ft, double-fronted store will span two levels “mark[ing] a significant milestone in [its] transformation from a leading e-commerce brand to a prominent player in the physical retail landscape”.
We’re told the new space will provide “an immersive, hands-on experience, building deeper interaction with TALA’s highly engaged community”, featuring the brand’s “bestselling collections”, from its “innovative” new Airform collection and “sell-out” outerwear to its “cult-favourite” DayFlex and 365 Collections.
And it’s that “engaged community” that has “built a reputation for turning digital demand into retail success”, demonstrated through a “standout partnership” across the Selfridges store chain, which began in spring 2024.
The flagship Carnaby Street store therefore marks the next phase of its expansion, “responding to increasing consumer demand for tactile, immersive and experiential shopping”, it noted.
The expansion builds on its “ambitious growth strategy”, made possible by the brand’s latest £5 million funding round, led by Pembroke VCT/Venrex/ Active Partners last summer “to explore opportunities for a physical retail presence and continue scaling domestically and internationally”.
Fowles added: “Carnaby Street has long been a destination for innovative and leading brands, and this location allows us to engage directly with customers… [who] have told us resoundingly, including via our success at Selfridges stores across the UK, that they still love shopping in physical stores.”
William Oliver, director of Retail at Shaftesbury Capital, added: “Fashion innovation has always been in Carnaby Street’s foundations; it’s what sets this destination apart, ensuring it can maintain its reputation as one of the most forward-thinking retail experiences anywhere in the world. Introducing a TALA flagship here is recognition of how important physical retail is for digitally native brands and Carnaby Street’s unique ability to champion leading innovators while creating a quality, exciting offer for its international catchment.”
