Brand Central clothes shop opens in Fairgreen
Lloyd Wilson, proprietor of Brand Central, outside his new store in the Fairgreen shopping centre in Carlow Photo: Michael O'Rourke Photography
ONLY a few weeks after the closure of menswear shops Camden Square and Tailor of Blue, Lloyd Wilson has opened Brand Central at Fairgreen shopping centre to bring the ‘wow factor’ of shopping for discounted brands to Carlow.
“We’re a disruptor in the business,” explained Lloyd. “The concept is to offer brands at fantastic prices. We want to offer genuine value.”
Brand Central buys men’s, ladies’ and children’s clothing stock from Europe. This means they cannot predict what they will have in store from week to week. “The stock is delivered on a weekly basis and the staff are as excited as the customers when we open the boxes,” said Lloyd.
He wants customers to pop in each week and take delight in finding new bargains.
The store opened quietly on Wednesday 4 March, and word went out to the public on Thursday. By Saturday, the shop was buzzing, said Lloyd. “We had a great reaction from the locals. Fairgreen is a great location – there’s a mix of tenants.”
Brand Central has hired four people to run the shop but will hire more as the business grows.
It is the first Brand Central store in the country, but Lloyd is hopeful that it will become a national chain. “The current selling point is that everything is €25 or less. With the cost-of-living crisis, people are delighted to find clothes at this value,” said Lloyd.
He added that they would try to maintain this pricing strategy for as long as possible.
