Fashion firm Master Debonair has closed its London store to forge ahead with plans for its flagship North East site.
The South Tyneside fashion firm was first opened by Simon and Eve Whitaker three years ago, filling a niche gap in the market for stylish suits and gentlemen’s accessories.
As well as running its flagship store in East Boldon, the pair also opened a shop in London’s Commercial Street, a stone’s throw from trendy Old Spitalfields Market.
Now, however, it has shut the London shop in favour of focusing on its growth plans in the North East, while also exploring options for new stores elsewhere in the UK.
The firm said: “Last year, we took on a short term 10-month sub-lease in London to test the market and our incredible customers have made it a success.
“However, with the expansion of the Boldon Store, which is our blueprint, the London store is just too small to provide the real Master Debonair experience that our clientele deserves.
“We launched our casualwear range in June 2019 in the Boldon shop and haven’t got the space to fully support the collection in the London shop due to size constraints.
“We have decided not to take over the lease of the London store and plan to expand to several different locations from 2020 onwards. This means that from Tuesday 24th September 6pm, we will move out of the London shop.
“Our customer service team will be taking extra care and contacting all customers with ongoing orders.”
Mr and Mrs Whitaker acquired the shop next to its East Boldon store earlier this year and are investing significantly in turning into a three-storey “man cave”.
Having unveiled the first phase, which includes its own range of clothing, the firm is busy working on the upper levels of the building.
Last month the couple revealed their vision for the future of the business, which could involve taking the Master Debonair brand around the UK, linking in with complementary businesses, and potentially applying for a licence for a cafe bar, to offer food and beer to customers.
At the time, Mrs Whitaker said: “After that the next step might be taking Master Debonnair on tour. I’ve always wanted a Winnebago, to take Master Debonnair around the country. We get so many messages from people asking when we’re opening up a shop near them, so let’s take the brand to them.”
This month Master Debonair won two awards at the Drapers Independents Awards, including the Menswear Independent of the Year and stylist Sally Minns winning The Rising Star Award.
