Fashion retailer Lefties launched its first UK store this morning at the Liverpool One shopping complex, bringing automated robotic technology to the British high street in a bid to win over value-conscious families refreshing their wardrobes and homes this autumn.
The glossy 27,000-square-foot outlet in Liverpool is the first of three UK stores opening this year, with subsequent locations following at Lakeside in Essex and Metrocentre near Newcastle.
Despite rain, shoppers formed queues outside the new store, with some customers travelling from Leeds eager to sample the latest things-for-less formula of the chain, which is owned by Spanish fashion giant Inditex.
Inditex, headquartered in Arteixo, Spain, is the parent group behind global retail brand Zara. The name Lefties derives not from left-wing politics, but from the chain's origins as a place where leftover Zara stock was sold.
Expansion plans and high street competition
Xavier Rus Riera, general director of Lefties, declined to say how many stores Inditex planned to open in the UK.
"We don't have a number; we're trying to meet the requirements of customers. It's like football we will proceed match by match,"
Riera said.
Lefties already operates 225 stores in 20 markets worldwide. Its expansion into Britain is set to pose a major challenge to Primark, the country's most powerful high street player in affordable clothing and decor with about 190 stores.
Primark is the retail division of Associated British Foods, a multinational food processing and retail group listed on the London Stock Exchange. Associated British Foods is preparing Primark for a stock market float next year following a separation of its business brands.
Lefties' combination of low prices and glamorous store fit-outs will highlight the workaday feel of Primark outlets.
Robotic automation and store technology
Automated technology will support Lefties' drive for a share of hard-pressed households' budgets while keeping staff on the shop floor rather than engaged in less profitable activities. The Liverpool One store has created 150 locally recruited jobs.
Inside the shop, a screen displays which dressing room is free, and unwanted items can be placed down a hatch in the fitting room to be sorted below.
At the self-checkouts, hangers removed from garments are sorted by robot arms that add a sci-fi element to shopping. Security lights at the checkout also illuminate if anyone tries not to pay for an item.
Technology is also deployed to ensure store displays are kept replenished. In the Liverpool One stock room, an automated system separates newly-delivered items from one main rail into individual rails for each section.
Product ranges and local pricing
Lefties has since evolved from its clearance roots into a full fashion brand offering total looks of the latest in-vogue items, as well as basics for women, teenagers, men and children, alongside elegant homeware.
Featured clothing includes studded jeans modelled by fashion model Leomie Anderson, offering a designer vibe for £22.99.
Parent company strategy involves adapting each individual store's product range to local preferences. In line with this approach, Lefties Liverpool is offering leggings from £5.99 and thermals from £9.99, marking the brand's first foray into cold-weather clothing introduced specially for the chilly months in the city.
