Moss Bros plans Yves Saint Laurent store

Moss Bros is to open an Yves Saint Laurent menswear store in London this spring, the first time the designer has opened a dedicated mainstream fashion store for men, writes Nigel Cope.

The two-storey outlet will open in Covent Garden in May or June. Moss Bros, which will operate the store, says it hopes others will follow. "I am not going to put a number on it but Moss Bros would not invest these funds if we did not think the idea had potential," said Rowland Gee, Moss Bros's managing director. Moss Bros will be investing more than pounds 400,000 in the store.

Mr Gee said the Yves Saint Laurent ranges should appeal to a wide audience as its price of pounds 200-pounds 350 for a suit and pounds 30-pounds 60 for a shirt were half those charged by rival designers.

Moss Bros has sold Yves Saint Laurent ranges in its Moss Bros, Suit Company and Cecil Gee outlets for more than 10 years. It is the designer's largest UK customer.

Moss Bros is extending the range of menswear formats. It acquired the Blazer casual wear chain from Storehouse in a pounds 7m deal last year.

It chose a Covent Garden location for the YSL store ahead of Bond Street or Knightsbridge to emphasise its mid-market position.