Fancy dress specialist Smiffys has acquired two existing customers’ stores and opened in two new locations, adding to its Liverpool store.
Smiffys’ Headingley store.
Last autumn, the company acquired the lease for its former Liverpool franchise store in Bold Street, with the store going from strength to strength under new management.
In July, Smiffys acquired Newcastle store Magic Box. After 30 successful years, Carol and Clive Richardson and their business partner, Gillian Stephenson, made the decision to move on from the fancy dress business. Magic Box has been synonymous with fancy dress in the city for decades and Smiffys said it couldn’t miss the opportunity to take it over. The store has a new manager with updated signage coming soon.
The Newcastle store is in the perfect location opposite the Haymarket Metro Station and close to both universities.Clive, Carol and Gillian are still in contact with Smiffys and Clive may even be helping manage the queues this Halloween. They added: “After 30 years of Magic Box, we are so pleased to hand over our business to Elliott and the team at Smiffys. Magic Box has been a roller coaster, with so many highs and the occasional low. We have so many memories and met lifelong friends though the years. I know, what we have achieved will continue for years to come under the direction of Elliott.”
In August, Smiffys also acquired the Dress up & Party store in Headingley, Leeds. Shirley Phillipson had owned the store for 23 years and has stayed on as manager for Smiffys.
“Smiffys approached me in November 2021 and suggested taking over business. It’s quite different working for a corporate company after being self-employed after all these years, but it works,” she said. “The Headingley store has been extended and refitted and is looking fabulous, worth all the hard work. There is a great team of staff at Smiffys, in the office, in the warehouse and on the road, always ready to help. I would expect this is one of the reasons Smiffys are so successful.”
Shirley and the shop are synonymous with the infamous Otley Run, the local pub crawl that sees thousands of students and locals don themed fancy dress every week as they make their way through Headingley.
Smiffys has just signed a lease on a Leeds city centre shop 100 yards from the landmark Trinity Shopping Centre, which will be open in time for Halloween. The store spans two floors and will be run by Shirley Phillipson and her team. The city centre location is prime for students and city dwellers alike, with high footfall and with no local competition.
Smiffys also opened a new store in Oxford in September, and says that with no existing trade customers in the area and a high student population, it was a great opportunity to bring a costume and dress up shop to the Cowley Road.
“Our stores will reinforce Smiffys position as the number one brand with the consumer, increasing brand awareness and demand for our trade customers on the high street and online. We are incredibly excited for this next chapter and to expand our high street presence further into 2023,” said Smiffys director Elliott Peckett.
Established in 1894, Smiffys has more than 2,000 stockists worldwide and distribution centres in the UK, Poland, Australia, US and China. Headquartered in its 13,000sq ft creative hub in Leeds, Smiffys employs more than 200 people globally.
