French Sole steps up Asia presence

French Sole, the footwear brand, is gearing up to expand in the US and Far East  markets.

The company has attained the services of Kim Winser, formerly of Agent Provocateur.

French Sole opened a store in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia last month, the first of three planned for the country. The brand is aiming to increase its presence in Asia, particularly in China, by opening franchise stores, reported Drapers.

Winser stated: "margins were 'tight'" but she is reluctant to put prices up. “If we buy better and increase our volumes, then we can improve the margins,” she said. Winser has been tasked with tripling French Sole’s turnover in the next five years, but the brand declined to give sales figures.

French Sole has so far added 30 new UK accounts for spring 12 and said like-for-like sales were up “across the board”. It has four stores in the UK, all in London.