Debenhams Group in key US deal, brands now on Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom marketplaces

​Debenhams Group has struck a key deal to drive its expansion plan with its brands having launched in the US via Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom online.

The company is taking its “most popular British fashion labels” to America, with Coast, Warehouse, Oasis, Nasty Gal (which was originally an American brand) and Karen Millen now available on Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom online marketplaces.

It’s part of the group’s broader strategy to “scale its portfolio of brands globally, using a marketplace-led model to open up access to new geographies and connect its labels with fashion-conscious customers worldwide”.

Together, the trio of big American names attract over 350 million shoppers every month, “giving Debenhams Group brands access to one of the largest fashion customer bases in the US”.

Debenhams said the deal — which has already started — marks “a significant step in [the] group’s international growth strategy and reflects the strong overseas appetite for distinctive British labels”.

It’s linking with Refined Networks on the partnership, a company that “works with leading fashion and lifestyle brands to scale internationally and connect with new customers through online marketplaces”. Refined Networks is actually launching over 30 British names in the US this year.

The company is only in the early stages of the agreement but said that the “signs are encouraging: Macy’s launched a dedicated marketing campaign last month to celebrate the arrival of Nasty Gal, while Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom also saw immediate customer engagement across the group’s portfolio. Each now offers exciting products from some of the most iconic British brands with a point of difference within the market”.

Debenhams Group CEO Dan Finley said: “Launching into the US is about bringing our British fashion labels to new audiences overseas, starting with some of the most iconic department store names in the market. Through these partnerships, our labels will now be in front of millions of potential shoppers across the US giving British fashion an unprecedented platform in one of the world’s largest retail markets. The appetite we’re already seeing for our labels underlines the strength of British fashion internationally, and we’re excited to build on that momentum with our US partners.”