After many a false start it seems it’s full steam ahead for PRADA’s flagship store in Melbourne.
Originally set to open in November 2007, it seems the last date I reported on may be closer to the real thing.
PRADA, it seems, will hit the Paris end of Melbourne’s Collins Street in the final quarter of 2008, with an opening date sometime in October now likely.
What’s more, I’m told that the store is set to blow the rest of Collins Street’s luxury retailers away with its combination of impossibly high ceilings and a rumoured second floor.
Yes, Louis Vuitton have begun the renovation of their store in response, Emporio Armani is rumoured to be looking for a spot, and Chanel are reportedly considering a move. But for those names it may just be too little too late. With PRADA set to take a big chunk out of their budgets, Louis Vuitton may wish they’d chosen to make their temporary site a new home. Though well away from the Paris end of Collins Street, the additional foot traffic has seen a 12% increase in sales for them.
Who’ll be smart enough to snap that site up once Louis Vuitton have moved out?
