Boardmans relaunches in South Africa
Home and decor brand Boardmans has relaunched in South Africa with an online-only storefront.
Boardmans used to be a standalone store brand within the former Edcon group of stores, and was shuttered in 2018 as part of the group’s contentious turnaround plan.
The brand was transferred to Edcon rival Retailability during the 2020 agreement that saw the latter acquire parts of the Edgars business.
Retailability is a Durban-headquartered retailer group which includes noted South African brands such as Edgars, Legit, Beaver Canoe, Style and Keedo in its stable. The group boasts 600 stores in Southern Africa including countries Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho.
Boardmans was a well-known brand in South Africa, offering mass-market home goods targeting higher-end consumers.
Retailability CEO, Norman Drieselmann said the brand’s online launch this week would allow the group to diversify its retail format offering.
“Edcon owned the brand, and it formed part of the Edgars acquisition,” he said. “This is a brand that resonates with many customers in South Africa and deserves a relaunch.”
Drieselmann said that the medium-term plan is to build the brand online before looking to relaunch a brick-and-mortar format “at an appropriate time”.
“There is always opportunity for those who choose to look for it. We are proud and excited to bring a strong Boardmans home offering that we believe will fill a gap in an under-served market while allowing Retailability to diversify its retail format offering,” he said.
“The future of retail, in our view, remains a blend of both online and brick and mortar; Boardmans is a strong brand that can stand its ground in both environments.”
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