A Fish named Fred opens first mono-brand store

In around three weeks, men’s lifestyle brand A Fish Named Fred will open its first brick-and-mortar store. Set to be located in Maastricht, The Netherlands, CEO Rob Schalker talks to FashionUnited ahead of the opening.

Plans for a physical store came about when "a retailer had the idea of creating an A Fish Named Fred corner in his shop, but during the conversation we talked about a complete branded store." Later, an opportunity arose for a property on the retailer's street, and so Schalker decided to open the first Dutch, A Fish Named Fred store, located at Platielstraat 22, in the centre of Maastricht.

In addition to the Maastricht store, A Fish Named Fred will open a second store in Sofia, Bulgaria. Schalker comments, verifying the locations were chosen due to the demand of local retailers.

"The store is big enough to lay out the whole story of the brand," says Schalker. The store only covers 25 square meters, but according to the CEO, it is enough to start to show a picture of A Fish Named Fred.

The appearance of the store did have to be carefully considered though, with colourful, extravagant products, “we cannot arrive with a boring shop”. Further details on the layout of the stores are not yet known, but according to Schalker “of course, water will play an important role in the theme.”

The news that A Fish Named Fred will open its own store has spread rapidly since Schalker posted a message on LinkedIn. Since then, retailers in Mexico, China, Oman, Abu Dhabi and Dubai have expressed their interest in more monobrand stores for A Fish Named Fred, but "it's not [set] in stone, of course," emphasizes Schalker.

A Fish Named Fred was founded six years ago with the idea that 'the world could use more color and pleasure'. The brand is now renowned for colorful, stand out designs which started on shirts, and has grown to offer blazers, polos and shoes, available in 26 countries worldwide.

Photo courtesy of A Fish Named Fred website