Away travels to Seven Dials for first UK store
Shaftesbury has announced that Away, the New York-based lifestyle brand that designs thoughtful objects to make travelling more seamless, has selected Seven Dials as home to its first permanent international store, opening this August.
The 3,000 sq ft store, located at 9 Earlham Street, will showcase the brand’s complete line of luggage and travel accessories, crafted from premium materials and designed with thoughtful features. The store will also offer visitors a curated selection of other travel-sized products.
London-based designers and artists were brought in to re-imagine Away’s established and minimalistic aesthetic for the Seven Dials store interior, drawn from local architecture and style. The store’s layout was designed to guide visitors as they build and customize their personal travel uniform, such as pairing a suitcase with a personal item or accessories, adding Away’s signature leather stickers, or hand-painted monogram, so the experience is equal parts discovery and self-direction—just like travel should be.
Commenting on the news, Sam Bain-Mollison, Head of Retail at Shaftesbury, said: “We are thrilled to have secured Away’s first UK flagship store at Seven Dials. The brands innovative and premium products will complement the retail line up and grow the appeal of this emerging luxury market within a central London location. This type of exciting international brand will add to the shopping experience and Away will be a great fit for the high number of visitors and global travellers that shop at Seven Dials.”
Jen Rubio, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer, at Away added: “We’re thrilled to open our first UK store at Seven Dials alongside so many other iconic brands. We view our stores as much more than a place to just sell products, but as a hub to bring together a community of people who love to travel as much as we do, and to inspire them to plan their next trip. London is an incredible city that draws people from all over the world, so I’m thrilled to deepen our roots in this vibrant and global location.”
The opening of Away’s storefront in Seven Dials follows the news that men’s fashion brand Farah will be relocating and upsizing to 3 Earlham Street later in the year. Shaftesbury has completed recent works to this road to considerably enhance shop fronts, improve road surfaces, and widen pavements, creating a more accessible and modern location for retailers and restaurants. Away joins the recently launched UK debut flagship store for Dutch eyewear brand, Ace & Tate.
JLL and Nash Bond represented Shaftesbury. JLL acted for Away.
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For further information, please contact Amy Cassidy or Jack Ross at Aver via:
For Away, please contact press@awaytravel.com.
Notes to Editors
About Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury PLC is a Real Estate Investment Trust, which invests exclusively in the liveliest parts of London's West End. Our objective is to deliver long-term growth in rental income, capital values and shareholder returns.
Focused on restaurants, leisure and retail, our exceptional portfolio extends to around 15 acres, clustered mainly in Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, with substantial ownerships in east and west Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia.
Our proven management strategy is to create and foster distinctive, attractive and prosperous locations. It is implemented by an experienced management team with an innovative approach to long-term, sustainable income and value creation, and a focus on shareholder returns. We have a strong balance sheet with conservative leverage.
Seven Dials
Seven Dials is home to 95 shops, including international flagships and concept stores, renowned beauty and grooming salons as well as over 90 vibrant cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs. The area comprises of Monmouth Street, Earlham Street, Neal Street, Shorts Gardens, Neal’s Yard, Endell Street, Shelton Street, Mercer Street and the Seven Dials monument. Combined with two luxury hotels, five theatres, two private members clubs, a large number of apartments and offices, Seven Dials is a unique retail and leisure destination in the heart of London. Sevendials.co.uk @7DialsLondon
Away
Away is a modern lifestyle brand creating thoughtful products designed to make travel more seamless. Founded in 2016 by Steph Korey and Jen Rubio, Away designs and sells premium travel goods at an unprecedented price through a direct-to-consumer model. To learn more, visit awaytravel.com.