Marimekko Corporation, Press release, 15 September 2014 at 11:30 AM
Marimekko continues to expand in Australia and opened a second Marimekko store in Melbourne on 13 September 2014. The new store is located in the stylish, newly renovated Emporium mall in one of the busiest shopping districts in Melbourne city centre. The 225 stores of Emporium Melbourne represent well-known Australian and international brands.
“Many European and American brands have entered the Australian market slowly. Marimekko is among the first foreign brands in its category to be building a chain of its own retail stores in Australia, and we are pleased to see that the trend in our retail sales has been favourable, even better than forecast. The originality and colourfulness of our design appeal to Australians, so we are now opening our third company-owned store in the country,” says Päivi Lonka, Marimekko’s Chief Sales Officer, and continues: “The significance of digitisation in retailing continues to grow and we are currently exploring the possibilities to increase the availability of our products in Australia through digital channels as well.”
Australia’s first Marimekko stores were opened in Sydney and Melbourne in 2012. Marimekko products have been sold in Australia since the 1960s, but now, with its own retail stores, the company is present on the market on a larger scale than before. The company’s long-term aim in Australia is to expand distribution through high-class speciality dealers, department stores, and selected digital channels.
The Asia-Pacific region is the company's second-biggest market area, and this year Marimekko will continue to underpin its position in this market.
MARIMEKKO CORPORATION
Corporate Communications
Piia Kumpulainen
Tel. +358 9 758 7293
piia.kumpulainen@marimekko.com
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Marimekko is a Finnish textile and clothing design company, renowned first and foremost for its original prints and colours. The company designs and manufactures high-quality household goods ranging from interior decoration textiles to tableware as well as clothing, bags, and other accessories. When Marimekko was founded in 1951, its unprecedented printed fabrics gave it a strong and unique identity. Marimekko products are sold in about 40 countries. In 2013, sales of the company's brands were some EUR 191 million with net sales of EUR 94 million. At the end of 2013, there were 133 Marimekko stores. The key markets are Northern Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The Group has about 500 employees. Marimekko's shares are quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd. www.marimekko.com
