Inc Retail continues its growth trajectory with the acquisition of Tootsa, the award-winning unisex childrenswear brand, despite challenging market conditions.
This acquisition will bolster the retail group’s core offering, and further defines its footprint in redefining retail through nurturing brands and providing them with a platform to grow.
Dan Shaw, Managing Director at Inc Retail Group, commented: “Tootsa is a fantastic brand to bring under the Inc Retail banner. Its strong commitment to sustainability perfectly fits with our dynamic and purpose-led acquisition strategy. Complementing and expanding our growing apparel and accessories portfolio, this acquisition offers us the potential to fully pursue our vision and opens the doors to creating a group ecommerce dedicated team.”
Gender-free clothing is breaking down boundaries put in place by society and challenging “outdated” gender roles, and for Tootsa taking gender stereotypes out of kids’ clothing has been ingrained in its mission statement and integral to its business from the start.
Tootsa, the award winning unisex childrenswear brand, was founded in 2010 and is designed to be worn by both girls and boys alike with the aim to create a stylish alternative to the traditional boy-girl clothing divide often seen on the high street. Vibrant colours, playful details and quality, hardwearing fabrics to ensure longevity were, and remain, at the core of the brand’s values.
Gender neutral and utterly practical, the label’s mix and match collections are ideal for layering to suit the temperature and changes in weather, with a range of fabrics, patterns, prints and plains, to allow creativity in putting outfits together.
The brand boasts also strong sustainable ethics. All manufactures are registered with SEDEX (Suppliers Ethical Data Exchange) to ensure that they conform to ethical standards with the aim to produce beautiful, ethically made, quality childrenswear that children will enjoy wearing and that provide value for money for parents.
“Tootsa goes to great lengths to ensure their clothes are produced ethically, working closely with small family run factories in Portugal as well as manufacturers in China, in synergy with our overall business strategy aimed at building a range of sustainable brands” Shaw said.
Over time the label has been recognised with wins at the UKFT for “Best Childrenswear” and the “Best Junior Fashion Brand” at Loved by Parents as well as gaining recognition for a “Design & Innovation” award at WGSN.
Inc Retail Group already owns KNOMO London, Chop’d and Laundrapp, and will soon be announcing further acquisitions that are currently in the pipeline.