Global womenswear retailer, House of CB, has made a major commitment to London, acquiring 45,000sq ft of space at 225 Oxford Street to open a permanent flagship store in a prime position on Oxford Circus. The brand already operates standalone stores in Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Founded in 2010 by then 17-year-old Conna Walker, House of CB began life as a pureplay online retailer, with the brand achieving significant global success with Conna having a social media following in excess of 4.5 million. The brand made the decision to begin opening physical stores internationally, and opened a 10,000sq ft pop-up store at 225 Oxford Street in 2023, trading from the first and ground floors.
The success of the pop-up has now resulted in House of CB taking an additional 35,000 sq ft of space at the same site, extending to the second and third floors of the property, in a move that will see the retailer trade on a permanent basis from one of the most high profile retail locations in Europe.
Paul Souber, head of central London retail at Colliers, comments: “This commitment from House of CB is testament to the global status that Oxford Street provides as a prime retail destination offering the highest levels of brand exposure and unmatched footfall. Oxford Circus receives 190 million annual visitors, with House of CB taking centre stage opposite the hotly antcipated IKEA flagship opening later this year.”
Souber continues: “House of CB has made a significant shift in recent years from being a pureplay and hugely successful online retailer, to opening physical stores in international locations. This latest permanent flagship space on Oxford Street exemplifies the value that many brands place on bricks and mortar stores. The decision from House of CB to create a bigger, higher quality store is a move we’re seeing from a number of retailers as they look to create standout destinations in the world’s best retail locations.”
The deal is yet another example of the renewed confidence from retailers in Oxford Street, with the street welcoming a plethora of new retail lettings in the past year, including Uniqlo, Pandora, Footasylum, Steve Madden, HMV and IKEA.
International real estate advisor Colliers advised the private landlord on the deal.