London gets Playboy flagship

Byline: LAUREN MILLS

Fashion Set

PLAYBOY impresario Hugh Hefner created a brand worth millions by surrounding himself with glamorous women. Now his daughter Christie is planning to exploit the brand to the full.

Playboy Enterprises is to open a store in London to tap into a growing demand for its merchandise. The shop in Oxford Street, the first of 30 across Europe, will sell Playboy fashion and lifestyle products from lingerie and dresses to jewellery and handbags.

Jewellery Brooch

Christie, chief executive of Playboy Enterprises, said: 'This will be our worldwide flagship.

'The European market is extremely important to us, with more than 40 per cent of our apparel sold in the region through department stores, including Harvey Nichols and Selfridges in the UK, and Collette in Paris.' The London store will open next spring and will run in partnership with Global Designer Brands, an Australian retail specialist. 'We will delve into the Playboy archives to create an innovative design for the store,' Hefner added.

Door handles will be rabbitshaped, echoing the Playboy bunny logo, and shelving will be based on the rabbit ear design.

embroidered patches

Playboy Enterprises intends to open three stores a year to build on its network of seven outlets in cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Last month, the company reported a two per cent rise in profits to [pounds sterling]42 million for the third quarter.

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