“Iconic” Manchester fashion retailer reopens following acquisition and investment

Manchester’s “iconic” fashion retailer Hervia has reopened its new HQ and flagship store following its acquisition by growth investor Rami Cassis in the middle of last year.

The Hervia Bazaar store has been a “key landmark” in Manchester since it first opened in 1993, and the reopening comes just in time for the brand to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The independent fashion retailer stocks the likes of Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, Y-3, Maison Margiela, DSM, and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy.

The reopening follows a development project to bring together Hervia’s head office, e-commerce operations, and stock holdings under one roof alongside its galleried retail space. Housed in a Grade 2-listed former banking hall, the 4,000 sq ft HQ and store provides “ample space” for customers and team members to shop and work.

Since its acquisition in May last year, Rami Cassis, CEO of Parabellum Investments, has worked with Hervia’s founder, Oscar Pinto-Hervia, to accelerate the growth of the company through integrating its core functions into the new Manchester HQ whilst refreshing its online presence to capitalise on global demand.

In the 1990s, Hervia made its name because of its popularity amongst The Haçienda nightclub-goers as well as being frequented by the likes of boyband Take That. Since then, it has become a Manchester-born global success story, with more than 80 percent of its sales now coming from outside of the UK, including a large number of buyers from Asia.

At the point of acquisition, Rami announced that he intended for Hervia to become the basis for further acquisitions in the fashion and retail space, with a view to becoming a new independent Manchester based supergroup. The supergroup is expected to be a platform for emerging and early-career British, French, and other international designers.

Rami Cassis is an international growth investor who acquires businesses to “supercharge” their growth and drive their expansion. Starting out in management, engineering, and consulting, Cassis established his family office in 2012. His other recent investments include tech and fintech firms including Parseq, Advanco, and ieDigital.

Oscar Pinto-Hervia arrived from Chile as a refugee in 1978 and later founded Hervia in 1993. His decision to stock Vivienne Westwood cemented his reputation as a trailblazer in the industry. Pinto-Hervia has since opened several Westwood franchise stores and opened the first Y-3 store in collaboration with Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto.

Oscar Pinto-Hervia, founder of Hervia, commented: “This reopening is momentous for Hervia. This is the first phase in a plan to build the brand into something truly incredible. It is particularly exciting to be holding this reopening in our 30th year of business.

“I am looking forward to continuing to work at the heart of the Manchester fashion community for another thirty years. Having Rami on board has allowed us to be even more ambitious with our strategy, and, with his expertise, lay the groundwork for the expansion of Hervia well into the future.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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