Mystery surrounds Tessuti replacement as subtle hints spotted

Speculation is rife as to which brand will replace Tessuti on Paradise Street.

Tessuti announced it would close its flagship store earlier in the month. However, site operator Grosvenor has already lined up a new brand to move into the premises which will be a "first for the city."

Iain Finlayson, Liverpool ONE's estate director, told the ECHO: "We’ve known about Tessuti’s forthcoming closure for up to a year. Shortly after opening, Tessuti was acquired by the Frasers Group, owner of Sports Direct.

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"In the knowledge that the unit was to become available, we’ve been working in the background to secure a new tenant, details of which will be revealed in the coming weeks. The brand will be a first for the city and something to create a great deal of excitement, I’m sure."

Signs have gone up in the unit's windows teasing the new arrival. Rob Deacon, director asset manager of Grosvenor, added: "Our job has been to find the best possible replacement tenant and I truly believe we have done just that."

The posters subtly hint at what shoppers can expect, with two quotes that say, "We're having a glow up," and, "You'll be made up with what's coming."

Though the brand's identity is currently undisclosed, Liverpool ECHO readers have unanimously agreed they expect it will be the Japanese casualwear brand Uniqlo.

Discussing the replacement, Mark Collinson said: "I bet it's Uniqlo." Carol Graham added: "Uniqlo is amazing." Melanie McClaghlin also said: "Uniqlo is coming to town."

Across Europe, Uniqlo plans to open 10 new stores in 2024 including in the UK, Italy and France, followed by 15 in 2025 and 20 in 2026. Alessandro Dudech, UK chief operating officer of Uniqlo, told Draper: “We can see that there is a growing affinity of customers, especially British customers, with our highly functional products.

"Store expansion has been the real engine of growth. I think it's a testament to the business growth that has taken place in Europe. It's also a testament to our store expansion strategy [which focuses on flagship stores] because flagship stores are where we believe that the full experience comes to light in our stores.”

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