Wanted Streetwear will take over the vacant ex-Dick Smith site on the Kingsway.
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Owner of Wanted Streetwear Luke Dawson said the company recently signed a lease agreement and planned to open by June 1.
The new will mean a dramatic increase in floor space for the Launceston street wear store.
The brand will now have 300 square-metres of floor space, instead of the 143 square-metres at its current Charles Street site.
Now the street has really changed into a modern shopping precinct in our city.
- Cityprom chairman Steve Henty
“We just wanted a bigger floor space and it also allows us to pick up more brands and diversify with the bigger space,” Mr Dawson said.
“We’ll also be able to do some more skate stuff.
“At the moment, it’s a pretty small section, so we’ll be able to expand that.”
Kingsway is now fully tenanted after the commercial site sat empty since Dick Smith’s closure in 2016.
CityProm has tried to promote the street through the A Day in the Kingsway festival and several other initiatives in the past year.
Chairman Steve Henty said the area had undergone a massive transformation.
“My personal recollection is that the area was somewhere to park when you went to the movies,” he said.
“Now the street has really changed into a modern shopping precinct in our city.
“The fact a local company has moved in there really shows that retail is still strong for Launceston.”
Mr Dawson said the area will offer the store foot traffic from a different section of the retail market.
“A lot of college kids will pass by every day,” he said.
“It’s probably not as much walking traffic [as Charles Street], but that part of the Brisbane Street is one of the busiest areas in the city.
“A lot of people go past.”
Mr Dawson said the company’s status as a local, independent brand provided an advantage in the marketplace.
“People like to support independents being a part of the local community,” he said.
“A lot of multinationals have a one-size-fits-all approach, but I can make the experience more local and tailor it to be more what locals want.”
A part of the store’s move will include a re-branding exercise after complaints from Melbourne-based Wanted Shoes.
Mr Dawson is unsure what the new name of the store will be.
There are also plans to set up a coffee bar at the new store and make it “a place for people to hang out”, according to Mr Dawson.
Stefan Boscia
Stefan came to The Examiner after working as a copywriter at a digital media firm in Melbourne and interning at The Conversation. He is enthusiastic about reporting on business, local government and environmental issues. When he is not chained to his work desk, Stefan enjoys getting brunch, reading Saul Bellow novels and watching Carlton games.
Stefan came to The Examiner after working as a copywriter at a digital media firm in Melbourne and interning at The Conversation. He is enthusiastic about reporting on business, local government and environmental issues. When he is not chained to his work desk, Stefan enjoys getting brunch, reading Saul Bellow novels and watching Carlton games.
