Multiplying retail spaces

Fashion brand BeechTree opens up third outlet in Karachi, set to go international in 2017

KARACHI: With many fashion retail brands stepping up their game by expanding their reach both locally and internationally, multiplying the number of outlets doesn’t come as a huge surprise.  One such brand, BeechTree, a prominent high street brand owned by Hakim Karim Buksh (HKB), has started establishing a vital domain for itself in the local market. The brand launched its third outlet at Dolmen City Mall, Karachi, on Saturday. With this launch, the brand brought forward its luxury Pret collection, called Porcelain Dream, alongside a limited unstitched lawn collection and accessories. It also marked the opening of its 10^th outlet in Pakistan.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Kehkashan Raza, brand manager of BeechTree, introduced the brand, saying, “It is owned by HKB, which is a departmental store based in Lahore. It always wanted to start a private label for women’s fashion and kids wear. However, in 2011, the brand was conceived with a team of very talented designers and experienced professionals. We were initially limited to operating within HKB but now, with its own outlet, it stands by itself — a retail force to be reckoned with.” With the availability of many pret stores, it is difficult to mark your presence within the market. For this purpose, affordability matters a lot. Kehkashan said, “Making a brand affordable comes from continuous research and development. Constant innovation is required in all the areas of designing, product development to working with vendors and building efficiencies in the systems.”



“Teamwork and design is key to capture the market and that’s what we aim to do with our current team of designers,” she said, adding that the challenge is to constantly innovate with the designs while keeping up with the upcoming international and domestic trends. “The customer’s visit should be an experience in itself. We have plans to make the retail space more exciting in terms of product and service,” she said.

Iqra Ragaib, heaad of marketing at BeechTree, elaborated on the brand’s philosophy. “It’s a chic, trendy brand, which was receiving a lot of online orders from Karachi. Hence, we thought of launching the outlet at this mall, before Eid.”



She also revealed that they were more focused towards making accessories than anything else. “Fashion is more of a necessity now than it was ever before,” she said. The brand already has a presence with five outlets in Lahore and two in Islamabad; yet, it has set “ambitious goals” for further expansion in the near future. “We will be opening new stores throughout Pakistan and will be expanding the current product range. We are also planning to go international by 2017,” Kehkashan revealed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th,  2015.

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