Armani Exchange is latest signing on Regent Street, Marc Jacobs also joins line-up

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 28, 2022

London’s Regent Street has received another vote of confidence with Armani Exchange set to open there. The brand is taking over the space left vacant by Zara Home (which closed in the wake of the retail devastation caused by the pandemic) and will be yet another boost for the lower end of the major West End shopping thoroughfare.

The company hasn’t confirmed the opening date but the signs in the windows say it’s looking for staff.

Regent Street suffered from the effects of the pandemic as much as (if not more than) many other UK city centre destinations during and immediately after lockdowns. But its post-pandemic recovery has been fast and it's attracting many prestigious names.

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While Superdry exiting its long-held London flagship store to relocate to Oxford Street could have been a blow given the size of the location, the recent arrival the Uniqlo and Theory in a combined store in the same space has more than made up for it.

Meanwhile, not far from the new planned Armani exchange location on the opposite side of the road, Marc Jacobs is opening as well. The two labels join a growing roster of high-end names at the end of the street closer to Piccadilly Circus, including Bally and Mulberry, as well as the long-established Burberry store. 

Regent Street is also home to a trio of SMCP-owned labels — Maje, Sandro and Claudie Pierlot.

In fact, what was once a location more focused on the mass and middle markets is becoming dominated by premium and high-end brands.

It’s also increasingly attractive to fitness-focused labels with Fabletics having opened there recently and Gymshark taking over the J Crew flagship further up the street.

It’s an interesting move for Armani Exchange given that it exited a previous Regent Street store the year after the Brexit vote, along with other stores at major malls including Bluewater in Kent and Manchester’s Trafford Centre.