Lipsy London

Lipsy Limited, also known as Lipsy London, it is a British women’s fashion brand that operates retail stores and an online website, as well as a wholesale business and via franchise partners internationally.

The company, founded in London, began trading as a wholesale fashion brand in 1988, going on to open concessions in department stores. In 2006, Lipsy.co.uk was launched and in 2008 Lipsy was acquired by Next PLC. Lipsy employs 500 staff – including Head Office – and operates 70 stores worldwide with 49 retail stores in the UK and Ireland.

Lipsy supplies department stores and online retailers using a wholesale model. Customers of Lipsy include Robinsons (Singapore), Debenhams (UK), ASOS (UK) and Myer (Australia). Lipsy franchise stores operate in the UAE, Bahrain, KSA, Jordan, Georgia and South Africa having partnered with Landmark Group, Alhokair and Edcon. Lipsy licenses product across various product categories including fragrance, cosmetics, accessories, watches, shoes, sunglasses and optical frames.

Lipsy's headquarters are in London.

History

• 1988 - Lipsy founded in London
• 2006 - Management buyout
• 2006 - Launch of Lipsy.co.uk
• 2007 - Lipsy undergoes a re-brand
• 2008 - First Lipsy store opens in London's Brent Cross Shopping Centre
• 2008 - Lipsy is acquired by Next PLC
• 2010 - Launch of first celebrity collection Pixie Lott for Lipsy
• 2011 - Franchise stores open in the Middle East
• 2013 - Launch of celebrity collection Kardashian Kollection for Lipsy
• 2013 - Franchise stores open in South Africa
• 2014 - Launch of celebrity collection Lipsy love Michelle Keegan
• 2015 - Launch of celebrity collection Fleur East by Lipsy
• 2016 - Launch of celebrity collection Ariana Grande

Stores

Lipsy opened its first retail store in Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London, in October 2008 with a ribbon cutting by socialite and actress Kimberly Stewart. In 2009, a further 12 stores opened their doors.

The company currently operates a total of 49 retail stores in the UK and Ireland with its flagship store at Westfield White City Shopping Centre, London.

The company have recently opened a brand new store in Liverpool City Centre inside the Next in Church Street. After the closing of the L1 store, customers are thrilled with the idea of having a Lipsy back in the city centre.

In December 2013, Lipsy unveiled its new retail store at intu Watford Shopping Centre.

Website and social media

The Lipsy official website was launched in 2006 allowing customers to buy online. The website was given a design overhaul in 2009 and again in 2010 when Lipsy.co.uk began stocking items by other fashion brands. Lipsy now offers low cost international shipping to over 90 countries worldwide.

Lipsy interacts with customers on a daily basis through its social media channels with a particularly substantial following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

Celebrity collections

In 2008, Lipsy unveiled its VIP Collection, a limited edition capsule collection of premium party dresses. The collection is now a permanent part of Lipsy's dress offering and has seen the likes of Millie Mackintosh, Amy Jackson and most recently Alex Gerrard front campaigns.

In April 2010, Lipsy launched a fashion range co-designed by British singer-songwriter Pixie Lott. Following the success of the first Pixie Lott for Lipsy collaboration, a further three more collections were created over the next two years.

In June 2010, Kimberly Wyatt, a former member of American pop group the Pussycat Dolls, was featured as the face of Lipsy watches in the company's marketing campaign. Other well-known celebrities that have featured in Lipsy’s photoshoots include reality star Caggie Dunlop in 2012, and model Georgia Salpa in 2013.

In 2013, Lipsy collaborated with the Kourtney, Kim and Khloé Kardashian to create an exclusive range entitled "Kardashian Kollection for Lipsy", which launched in October 2013. Within the first days of launch, the majority of the collection sold out. The launch was crowned by Khloé’s visit to London, Amsterdam and Dubai in November 2013. Following the success of the first range, a second and third Kardashian Kollection for Lipsy was launched Spring Summer 2014.

Fragrances

The first Lipsy fragrance LIPSY LONDON was launched in October 2010 encased in a heart shaped faceted bottle. Boy band The Wanted performed at the launch party in central London.

The second fragrance LOVE hit stores in 2012 and was celebrated with a DJ set by boy band JLS at the launch party.

A third fragrance GLAM launched in September 2013 featuring film and TV star of 90210, Jessica Lowndes.

External links

• Official website

• [1]
• [2] Archived May 2, 2014 at the Wayback Machine
• http://www.lipsy.co.uk/help/store-locator
• http://www.lipsy.co.uk/KeyTrends/brands
• http://uk.eonline.com/news/481968/khloe-kardashian-odom-hits-amsterdam-shows-off-lighter-locks