Prospective retailers looking for a franchise rarely come across a fit as perfect as the one Nigel Osborne found in Eden Park, the French clothing chain. The brand is synonymous with rugby, and Osborne and one of his business associates have a strong rugby background.
He plays for Wanderers Rugby Club in Dublin while his associate Brendan Mullin is a former Irish Rugby international and now a director of Goodbody Stockbrokers. The third person behind the shop is James Kenny, who works for ABN Ambro. The trio have now opened an Eden Park shop in Dublin, which sells mostly men's casual clothes in the newly revamped Powerscourt Townhouse centre.
It's unusual for a clothing chain that isn't specifically a sports clothes range to have a link with a sport but in France, Eden Park is known as a rugby brand. Founded in 1988 by five French rugby internationals - Franck Mesnel, Eric Blanc, Yvon Rousset, Philippe Guillard and Jean Baptiste Lafond - this group of players became famous for their use of humorous accessories on the pitch during top level matches. These included Basque berets, dinner jackets, wigs and, most famously, pink bow ties.
These bow ties then became the identity of the brand and the clothing collection was named after the famous Eden Park Rugby Stadium in New Zealand, which hosted the first Rugby World Cup final in 1987. Nigel Osborne discovered the brand during a season playing rugby in France and he went on to work in both the sales and marketing departments in the company's Paris head office.
The stylish new look of the Powerscourt Centre encouraged him and his partners to consider it as a location but the real incentive was the lack of key money. "Not having to pay key money for a shop right in the centre of town is a huge plus for any start up retailer," says Osborne, who has signed a 15 year lease on the 1,000 sq ft ground floor unit. He feels that the retail mix also suits his brand. "There are high quality well known labels in the centre including, for example, French Connection," says Osborne. "Also there is a throughput of people looking for and willing to spend on luxury goods and clothing." The unit next door, while currently vacant, is due to open as the first Irish branch of the trendy beauty company Lush.
In France, Eden Park has 37 stores and 200 outlets and a turnover of £20 million. Last year, the French company opened its first shop outside France, a retail outlet in Conduit Street in London's West End.
Osborne and his associates have the franchise for the brand in both the North and South of Ireland as well as Scotland. Future plans include opening two more Irish outlets before looking into the opportunities in Scotland. In general, the brand has a philosophy of operating in any market where rugby is strong: franchises are due to open in other likely markets, including Argentina, South Africa and Chile. The range available in the shop in the Powerscourt Centre concentrates on men's casual clothing and workwear. All feature the pink bow tie logo and details include rugby ball-shaped branded buttons. Prices range from £40 for a rugby shirt to £240 for weatherproof jackets. For spring/summer 2000, the collection will be expanded to include men's suits, ladies and children's wear, sunglasses and watches.
