Fabletics in exclusive Next digital link-up

Global activewear brand Fabletics will launch its core collection exclusively in the UK with Next.co.uk, becoming the US brand’s first European retail partner.

As a digitally native company, the expansion via Next “marks a huge milestone for the brand, making this the first time Fabletics will be available through a partnering stockist”. 

Fabletics previously opened a UK flagship on London’s Regent Street but this later closed.

Now the Next offer will feature collections from the core range including the Power Hold, Oasis Pure Luxe and Motion 365+. Additionally Next will carry some of the brand’s best selling bras, T-shirts, tops, jackets, and trousers, available in sizes UK4-22. Prices range £40-£90.

Mark Ralea, general manager Fabletics Europe, said: “Next is the perfect match for our growth strategy for Fabletics within Europe. With their massive reach to online consumers in more than 70 countries, Next can help us fulfil the demand for Fabletics which we are seeing to increase year by year, resulting from our global celebrity partnerships and product innovation.”

The addition of Fabletics to its already extensive digital offer will be seen as another major endorsement for Next which last month continued to show how strong trading continues to be.

Ahead of interim results on 19 September, it said second quarter full-price sales were up 3.2% versus last year, “exceeding our expectations by £42 million”. For the first half as a whole, full-price sales were up 4.4% on the year while total group sales, including markdown, subsidiaries and investments, during H1 were up 8%.