Kenneth Cole to launch across 30 countries as it eyes European expansion

US fashion house Kenneth Cole is plotting an expansion across 30 countries, positioning itself among regions where it sees opportunity for growth. With a focus on Europe, the expansion is expected to generate between 400 and 500 million dollars in sales by 2030.

The brand confirmed the move to WWD, through which it announced that its first concept store will open in March in Prague. This will be followed by an additional location in Austria, due to open in May, before further expansion into Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltics.

In total, around 100 franchise-operated stores are expected to open by 2030, alongside a “double-digit number of shop-in-shops” within department stores. Operations will be overseen by a new business entity, Kenneth Cole Europe, formed with a strategic operating partner and further bolstered by wholesale and franchise agreements.

The expansion follows the opening of a showroom in Dusseldorf, Germany, as well as the introduction of UK and EU e-commerce platforms, each of which launched today. Wholesale, retail and franchise partners will be served through a warehouse in Venlo, the Netherlands, under a new Enterprise Resource Planning platform. Wholesaling will officially begin in autumn.

Rolling out across Europe reflects a recommitment to the region. Speaking to WWD, Kenneth Cole’s namesake founder and chief creative officer, said: “Europe has always been an important part of our brand’s story, and this marks an exciting new chapter. We’re coming back in a big way – with the right infrastructure, and a modern global vision for how the brand shows up in the ever-shrinking world.”

In his own statement, CEO and president, Jed Berger, said the growth plan was rooted in “strong product and impactful marketing”, and will address the business’ relatively low international presence, leveraging opportunities in other countries. “A lot of international businesses like ours are global,” Berger told WWD. “Their percentage of business outside the US is significantly higher than ours. There is a big runway there. It was just making sure we had the right product and the right way of providing it, the right partners in place and the right infrastructure in place.”