Charlotte Olympia plans for expansion

British luxury footwear and accessories brand, Charlotte Olympia, is aiming to operate nine stand alone stores

across the world by the end of this year as the brand builds up its international following.

The fashion label, first launched by Charlotte Olympia Dellal in 2008, opened its first store in London on Maddox Street in 2010. Following the store's opening, whose interior concept is a nod to Old Hollywood glamour, other store were opened in Manhattan, New York and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, LA.

Since then Charlotte Olympia has grown to include wholesale clients around the world such as Harrods, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Tsum in Moscow, Russia.

Now, Charlotte Olympia is set to open two new stand-alone stores this month, with one opening in Miami' s Bal Harbour in the US and the second in The Landmark center in HongKong. Another store is set to open in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai this fall, with the average store size ranging from 1,000 square feet to 1,500 square feet.

Dellal, who is chief executive office and creative director of her eponymous label, explained to WWD how her ultimate goal for the company was to establish a stand-alone brand.

The fashion label is said to be hitting triple-digit sales growth and double-digit profits gains due to the launch of collections such as Archie's Girls, with Charlotte Olympia remaining self-financed and is growing steadily.

Annual wholesale revenues currently generate between 24 million pounds and 30 million pounds, with sales being spilt equally between the US, the Far East and the rest of the world, with licensed and joint partners including Al Tayer and the Bluebells group.

The news of the labels expansion phase comes not long after Charlotte Olympia announced the launch of a new footwear line, known as Working 9 to 5, and a handbag line for professional working women. Accessories and small leather goods currently account for 20 percent of the business, and Dellal expects that number to increase to 30 percent during the next 18 months as the product range expands.

Dellal adds that for the moment the company is not looking to bring in any new investors to fund the expansion or launching any new product categories. "This has always been about building a global brand with longevity. And the focus remains on the brand."