Henri Lloyd relaunches brand

Henri Lloyd, a brand from the UK that’s specialized in sailing clothing, has relaunched its online store after overcoming financial difficulty. Swedish investor Aligro Group had acquired the brand in March 2018, later filing for administration in June 2018.

Aligro Group has now unveiled the business with a new strategy, new design, and new digital focus where ecommerce plays a central role.

Henri Lloyd is now a digital first brand. The company still runs its flagship stores in the United Kingdom, but 80 percent of the physical retail branch has been cut. The Swedish owner has also moved the brand’s headquarters from Manchester to Gothenburg, Sweden.

The brand now wants to strengthen their own digital channels by launching their own online flagship store, which is built with Swedish ecommerce software Centra.

“We saw a great opportunity for improvement as the brand was lagging in its digitalization,” said CEO Magnus Liljeblad. “The logo has been redesigned, but most importantly, we’ve transformed the company to become a strong digital player that will make Henri Lloyd accessible to customers all over the world through our own online flagship store.”

The owners want to reposition Henri Lloyd as a premium brand. As a result, besides its own flagship stores, the brand will still be available in physical stores, but only through a few hand-picked retailers. And sales to these channels will be controlled through a digital showroom, which gives Henri Lloyd full control over distribution in both their direct-to-consumer and business-to-supplier channels.

“We still see great value in being present in physical retail,” explained Liljeblad. “But need to be much more selective of where we are displayed to maintain the qualities and values of a premium brand. Our new strategy focuses on just that; physical accessibility through strategic retailers, and global accessibility through our online flagship store.”

Source: Ecommerce News, Henri Lloyd