Luxury homeware and interior firm Rowen Homes is set to open its first store at the Metrocentre following significant growth online.
Rowen Homes has been a purely online venture for more than two years, having been launched in lockdown by Pink Boutique founder Alice Hall and her husband Andrew. Now, on the back of growing sales and a large social media presence with more than 1.3million followers, Ms Hall is poised to open the company’s first bricks-and-mortar operation on the Gateshead centre’s Platinum Mall.
The new store is expected to open its doors in April, moving into the former Laura Ashley unit. It will feature the brand’s luxury furniture and homeware, allowing customers to meet the team through workshops, talks and events. Ms Hall famously turned a £90 investment into successful fashion firm Pink Boutique, with the sale of six initial dresses growing to a £25m turnover business with thousands of customers and social media followers.
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The Newcastle business is now owned and run by her mother Julie Blackie after she left in 2019 to take up a part-time diploma in interior design – fuelling her plans for Rowen Homes. The company – which takes its name from her middle name Rowen – was launched three years after she and Andrew first explored the sector with their sideline venture Glamhomestore.com, which sold everything from velvet sofas and beds to plush children’s nursery furniture.
Up until now Rowen has traded purely through e-commerce but the couple now think it is the right time to move into physical stores – and believe the Metrocentre is an ideal location for their very first flagship.
Ben Cox of Sovereign Centros, senior asset manager for Metrocentre, said: “We are delighted Rowen Homes have chosen Metrocentre for their first physical store. It is great to support the growth of an award-winning North East business.
“They have a strong digital presence which will be complemented by a fantastic new flagship store. We are confident their plans for a new experiential concept will be a popular addition to Metrocentre. The introduction of Rowen Homes follows the recent opening of female fashion brand Vanilla, while Zara, Flannels, Sports Direct and Everlast Gym will be opening flagship stores in the centre this autumn. This level of investment is set to continue with a number of large-scale developments and exciting announcements to be released in coming months.”
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