Barbour Expands in Russia

The British brand Barbour, which produces its very popular waterproof clothing, opened its first store in St. Petersburg in late December 2016. The boutique occupies 80 square meters in the TC «Nevsky Center«. The company will open a second store in spring at the «Piter Raduga» mall. Barbour will present its autumn and winter women’s and men’s fashion collection as well as a wide variety of hats, handbags and other accessories. In the near future the range will be expanded with pet accessories.

At the end of 2015, the brand opened its first store in the GUM of Moscow. Today Barbour has its own stores, apart from in the UK, in 40 other countries, from Europe, USA, Japan or New Zealand. The Nevsky Center is a huge seven-storey shopping center, located in the center of St. Petersburg. It houses shops of about one hundred brands, approximately.

A centenary history
Barbour, a British company dedicated to the manufacture of clothing and footwear from the beginning of the 20th century. It was founded in 1894 by John Barbour of Galouey (Scotland). In that distant year, John began to sell raincoats in the port of South Shields. Her original waterproof clothing soon turned her into a fashion company that has always counted on the endorsement of the British Royal House.

At the beginning of his career, the Barbour brand received a large part of its profits thanks to its garments that were acquired by sailors, workers in ports and shipyards and ship owners. In 1928, Duncan Barbour, entered the family business and began selling his clothes in department stores in the cities of Newcastle and Bainbridge. Today the company, which started production of wax-protective clothing and waterproof coats for sailors reached fame through aristocrats and celebrities. Handmade brand fashion produced at its South Shields factory.

Barbour has eleven retail stores in the UK and 40 outlets around the world where they are delighted to offer their customers a wide range of jackets, trousers, shirts, socks, etc. and convey the values of the company remain unchanged: the old tradition of the family business, its intelligence, vigor and charisma – all these qualities have remained for decades with the Barbour product brand.

Barbour in Spain, by the hand of Clemente Gómez de Zamora
Barbour has grown significantly in Spain. The English firm, distributed in Spain by the group Gómez de Zamora, and they have recently inaugurated a store in the center of Bilbao. Barbour’s first exclusive store in Spain opened in 2007 on Jorge Juan St. in Madrid. The brand has two other stores in Vitoria and San Sebastian and is also distributed in El Corte Inglés.

The Gómez de Zamora Organization exclusively distributes Barbour and Barbour International in Spain, as well as other international brands such as Gant, Cremieux, Harmont & Blaine, La Martina and Ben Sherman, among others. Clemente Gómez de Zamora is a key company in the distribution of international fashion in Spain, always anticipating new trends and adapting to the times, as demonstrated by one of the latest projects, such as the launch of the Tenkey brand that combines online commerce and physical store. Gómez de Zamora is a company with a company approach with very well defined ethical and aesthetic concepts, always close to the final consumer, hand in hand with leading international brands with which establishes a long and fruitful business relationship.

The impact of Brexit
The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union has shaken the Anglo-Saxon industry in a certain way, although the markets have initially reacted cautiously, although the pound sterling has significantly depreciated, which has favored In the short term to local producers like Barbour.

In the post-Brexit climate, British brands have reported an increase in international sales. London became more affordable luxury market, while Burberry revealed that UK sales had gone up a third in the last quarter. The UK luxury market is driven by tourists, so with the weaker pound most brands have enjoyed double-digit growth since Brexit.

However, the loss of EU subsidies to certain industries such as English textiles, the likely increase in taxes and tariffs between the UK and the EU paint a rather unrealistic outlook, especially if there is a hard Brexit. Traditional textile companies continue to manufacture in the UK, such as Barbour with its plant in South Shields, although relocating their factories in emerging markets would reduce their costs but would make them lose quality and identity to their highly valued products.

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