“We’re very bullish ... we’re planning for our strongest Christmas yet,” Crowe said.
Under Crowe’s stewardship,the Koko Black brand has had a face lift,including a rethink of its stores to make them more inviting and colourful than the more serious,luxury feel the brand had in its early days.
“It’s far more welcoming to a more youthful audience and a broader audience. It doesn’t feel as imposing and alienating as it was,” Crowe said.
Now that COVID lockdowns are in the rearview mirror,the brand is ready to add more stores to its network. Koko Black has 15 stores across the country,and plans for five more to open by next year.
This includes two new stores in Sydney,at Sydney Airport and Westfield to open by the end of 2022,a new site in Melbourne Central to launch by Easter,and plans for two sites in Western Australia next year.
The new openings come as hospitality spending continues to climb across the country even as inflation and rising interest rates hit household budgets.